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Massage therapist Roger White pushes Andrew Cranmer in his buggy on the third of seven laps of Orewa Estuary’s walkway. Photo, Peter Cranmer
Massage therapist Roger White walked from dawn to dusk on Saturday, June 6, completing 50km and raising more than $3000 for Warkworth-based charity Adults in Motion (AIM), which assists young adults with intellectual disabilities.
Roger began walking around Orewa Estuary on the Te Ara Tahuna walkway at 6.30am, and finished his seven laps by 5pm. Along the way he was accompanied and cheered on by a group of supporters.
The 62-year-old likes to keep fit and says the idea of doing a fundraising walk grew out of his desire to challenge himself with a longer walk than his usual Orewa Beach, Orewa Estuary and Wenderholm Regional Park route.
“I had heard of the Oxfam Trailwalks that raise funds to fight poverty, but decided instead to initiate my own fundraiser for a local charity,” Roger says. “As well as benefitting personally by keeping fit, it made sense to bring benefit to others in our community who face great struggles in life.”
Roger was joined for some of his walk by Warkworth resident Andrew Cranmer, who suffers from Angelman Syndrome – a rare genetic disorder that causes intellectual and speech problems.
Having known Andrew and his mother, Ursula Christel, since 2010, Roger says he has seen firsthand how difficult it can be for families when someone has a life-long disability, especially as they enter their adult years.
Andrew is 24 years old and Roger has been his massage therapist for almost 10 years.
“Ursula put me in touch with AIM as a possible charity to support with my walk. I have visited their centre in Warkworth to see what they do and how they support young adults with special needs and their families. I believe those of us involved in health and the wellness businesses need to ‘walk the walk’, not just ‘talk the talk’,” he says.
You can still support Roger’s efforts with a donation – email him on orewamassageworx@gmail.com or the AIM manager Sarah Allan at sarahallanaim@gmail.com
