In July last year, luxury skincare and fragrance brand ARgENTUM did a charity walk of 31 miles crossing the 26 bridges of the Thames in London, from Hampton Court Bridge to Tower Bridge to raise money for University College Hospital London (UCHL) towards the funding of a clinical nurse specialist to assist skin cancer patients practically and emotionally in transition from diagnosis to treatment.
Clinical nurse specialists offer care, comfort, and clarity for patients with cancer and loved ones. The gap between diagnosis and treatment can be a very worrying time. CNS’s can help to bridge that gap by offering advice, information and expert support, with compassion and empathy.
I was ARgENTUM’s Senior Writer at the time, and I was on that walk. It was a fabulous event called The Great London Bridges Walk. The identification of 26 bridges across the Thames’ London beat was not lost on me. It was not lost on ARgENTUM’s creative director, Sam Gray, either. We both thought it could make a great 26 project. Sam’s only concern being that if such a project went ahead – spawned by The Great London Bridges Walk – maybe it too could raise money for UCHL. I spoke with my good friend John Simmons about it and we both thought it had legs (except we wouldn’t have to use ours so arduously as writers and artists!).
We thought ‘let’s do it!’
And we’re doing it.
26 writers have paired with 26 visual artists (painters, designers, photographers, film makers) to create 26 pieces to exhibit on the Bloomsbury Festival website in September/October and sell at auction on October 16th to raise money for UCHL. The auction will take place online, with Martin Clarkson (known to many of the 26 community) acting as auctioneer extraordinaire in the office of Quiet Room, thanks to Managing Director Andy Hayes. The project also has a slot at Wordstock as part of the Bloomsbury Festival on Saturday 18th October, where three or four creative pairs will present and talk about their final pieces and read their words inspired by whichever of the 26 bridges that was allocated to them.
Last year’s Great London Bridges Walk raised sufficient money to fund a year’s salary for a CNS. A second Walk will take place on Sunday September 14th this year, with a target of £70,000. Money from the sale of 26 Bridges art pieces with go to swell this pot. We did it last year. And we intend to better it this year!
This is a wonderful cause, and this is a plea for everyone in the 26 community to support both the creative project and the 2nd Walk. Watch this space for more news on exhibits on the Bloomsbury Festival website and dial in details for the auction on 16th October.
In the meantime, please support the walk by either joining the walk and raising donations from your network of family and friends or simply donating to a very worthy cause.
https://www.thegreatlondonbridgeswalk.com/walk/bridges
– Stuart Delves