Poole Soroptimist Lynn Butterworth was presented with a cheque for £250 in aid of the charity Target Ovarian Cancer following her talk about her recent experiences on her pilgrimage and fund raising walk by ‘The Way of St James’, (El Camino de Santiago), in north-west Spain.
Lynn was inspired to undertake the walk by the death of her best friend Elaine McGuiness in 2012 of ovarian cancer. Consequently one of her chosen charities was Target Ovarian Cancer, a charity also supported by Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland. Lynn is also a member of Poole Rotary Club and the second charity to benefit was ‘Autism Wessex’, the club’s charity of the year
Lynn walked for thirty eight days meeting many fellow pilgrims from different countries and backgrounds, sharing experiences such as sore feet, the best shoes to wear, the best places to rest, eat and drink the local red wine! Miraculously Lynn found herself needing medical help for sore feet only once during the whole journey so all her training over the Dorset hills had paid off. Lynn shared many photos which demonstrated the beautiful scenery, the clearly marked trail of crosses and blue and yellow shells, the various friends she made along the way and the variety of weather from snow on the mountains to glorious sunshine in Finisterre.
A very emotional moment for Lynn was placing the stone from Sandbanks beach in Poole, given to her by the previous Mayor of Poole, Cllr Carol Evans, at the foot of the cross at Cruce de Ferro. Traditionally this represents the leaving of burdens and worries and the preparation for the final stage of the camino. On reaching the Catedral de Santiago de Compostela Lynn lit a candle in memory of Elaine before making the final leg of the journey to Finisterre to complete the 500 mile or ‘One Million Steps’.
Lynn thanked the club and informed them that the funds raised now exceeded £2000 for ‘Target Ovarian Cancer’ and in excess of £500 for ‘Autism Wessex’.