Where do we meet?
Rugby are part of Inner Wheel District 6, and we meet at:
Sacred Heart Church, Lime Tree Avenue, Bilton, Rugby CV22 7QT
When do we meet?
Meetings are held at 7.30pm on the second Wednesday of every month. If you are interested in joining us, please use the contact section on the District 6 page of the website.
About The Club
Welcome to the Inner Wheel Club of Rugby
With 30 members, our Club is very busy with both social and fundraising activities. We have visits arranged to places of interest, eating out or helping at charity fundraising events which all leads to great fellowship and fun.
Club President
Suzanne Downham
Plans to do a sponsored walk of ‘The Ridgeway National Trail’ had been on hold for over two years due to the pandemic.
Then, as I found myself President of The IW Club of Rugby 2022-23 it seemed an ideal time to go ahead and to raise funds for my chosen charity ‘Rugby New Directions’. This wonderful local charity provides supported living for people with learning disabilities in several residences within our community.
Training and planning for our walk started in earnest and I was joined by my daughter, Sarah and granddaughter Sophie. As ‘Team Ridgway’ three generations of Ridgways were walking
‘The Ridgeway’!
We set off from Avebury Stone Circle in Wiltshire on Wednesday 6th July to walk 87 miles to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire allowing ourselves 11 days walking and one rest day.
With two replacement knees and considerably more years under my belt I was definitely the weakest link.
We completed our epic walk on Sunday 17th July in a heatwave that was building up to record temperatures in the U.K.
It was a wonderful experience but not everything went according to plan.
On day 1 Sarah tested positive for Covid and had to return home, thankfully she was able to re-join us on day 6. Sophie produced some evil looking blisters on both feet but some ‘Compeed plasters’ and TLC took care of those.
After a sweltering day 3, where we covered 12.5 miles, I succumbed to heat exhaustion and was unable to walk on day 4. Thanks to my son in law, Richard, who came all the way from Kent to join Sophie, the walk was able to continue.
As the temperatures climbed, we decided to send the backpacks to our next destination by taxi each day. On one occasion they went missing. Fortunately, they eventually turned up in our hosts shed!
A slight mix up in bookings one night was soon overcome by the kindness and understanding of the landlord at ‘The George and Dragon’ in Princes Risborough who took in three dishevelled waifs and strays at very short notice and gave us first class accommodation.
We were supported at the beginning and halfway through by my brother and sister-in-law. Paul and Trish moved our bags on when overnight stays were too far from the trail for exhausted walkers to contemplate and dropped us back in the right place the follow day. Trish’s shortbread and flapjack also helped fuel us over the miles. Unfortunately, she too developed covid and they also went home!
As Sarah said, many times, ‘Teamwork makes the dream work’ and we managed to enjoy every day’s stunning scenery, glorious wildflowers, butterflies and birds. We met lots of interesting people and visited quaint, unspoiled villages, the likes of which I thought had ceased to exist.
As the temperatures increased so did our mileage covered, and we reached the summit of Ivinghoe Beacon accompanied by close family members who had come to retrieve their loved ones and take them home My youngest daughter and her husband produced a very warm bottle of fizz and we celebrated in style before retreating to a car park and a welcome ice cream.
WE’VE DONE IT, unbelievably, and in spite of everything,
– 107 miles in 11 days –
and so far, we have raised over £1,600 for Rugby New Directions!
A huge thankyou to everyone who supported us and who gave a donation, it made it all worthwhile.
Jan Ridgway – President, Inner Wheel Club of Rugby
Committee Members
Trish Ridgway – Secretary
Angela Cresswell – Treasurer
Flick Furber – Club Correspondent Sylvia Hook – International Service Margaret Benison – Health & Safety Officer Margaret Phillips – Membership & Development Officer
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