Last year a group of Eastbourne residents took Red Cross Journey very seriously by walking home from the Wellington CBD. Armed with wet weather gear and torches, Alice, Gayle, Lisette and Andrew walked the 25km from work to home on Monday 8 May – World Red Cross Day and the first day of Red Cross Journey.

The group used this opportunity to test their emergency preparedness skills. The group all work in the city but have children in school or childcare in Eastbourne. The November 2016 earthquakes and floods got them thinking about what they would do if a major emergency left them unable to drive home to their children and public transport was affected. How long would it take them to get home? Do they have the right gear in their emergency kit?

 “It was a fun way to kick off our Red Cross Journey and a great disaster preparedness activity.  Lots of friends and people within the community donated to us and I got to spend time with some neighbours I don’t see as often as I would like,” says Alice.

The four friends did an amazing job fundraising, raising collectively over $1,600. As a winning team they were awarded Kathmandu prizes for their efforts.

Get your friends, family or co-workers involved and join Red Cross Journey as a team! Check out the news page to learn more about the Kathmandu prizes this year.