At the crack of dawn, Charlie Barbara was setting up a coffee stand in Senglea to welcome the hundreds of people who walked 27 kilometres to raise funds for children who suffer from cancer.
“It’s nice to see all these people supporting Puttinu Cares. When it comes to cancer, you can’t adopt an it-doesn’t-affect-me attitude. It can happen to anyone,” Mr Barbara, whose daughter recovered from cancer, said standing in front of the Senglea parish church.
The church was the final destination of almost 4,000 people who took part in the 10th edition of the Good Friday Walk that started from Mellieħa at 2am yesterday.
This was the fourth time that the walk was held to raise funds for Puttinu Cares Children’s Cancer Support Group – €46,200 was raised.
Mr Barbara experienced first-hand the invaluable support of the voluntary organisation. His daughter, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with cancer when she was six months old and had to undergo six months of treatment in the UK.
“Puttinu Cares supported us all the way,” he said, adding that his daughter was now seven and healthy.
The majority of people who took part in the walk did so out of solidarity and as a Good Friday sacrifice.
Oliver Tanti, one of the organisers, said that 10 years ago the walk started off as a “walk for penitence” by a man called Joseph Vella and his in-law.
Since then, more and more people have joined in each year.
Four years ago, the organisers decided to turn the event into a fundraiser and participation increased further. About 1,700 people joined last year; the number more than doubled this year.
“I think they do it as a Good Friday sacrifice and some take it as a challenge and a way to help others,” Mr Tanti said, as people trickled into Senglea, at about 7am.
Outside the church, you could see some people were exhausted, some even limped because their shoes hurt but many said the sense of satisfaction numbed any discomfort.
Christine Borg, 25, said this was her second time taking part in the walk. “I look forward to it. It’s a way of helping others and it’s a challenge too,” she said, adding she had particularly enjoyed the atmosphere of solidarity with hundreds of strangers walking, in the middle of the night, for a common cause.
Alison Zammit Moore, 28, was accompanied by a group of colleagues. She admitted there were times when the walkgot tough but they encouraged each other.
Individuals forming part of groups of friends said they drew support from one another. Quinton Calleja, 23, walked with his friends and his one-year-old Boxer, Lilly, who took on the challenge with enthusiasm and, at times, pulled her owner forward.
Alfred and Maria Sant Fournier walked together with their daughter, Christina, and their son, Andrew.
“It was tiring and there were times when I was not sure I’d make it till the end. But we managed,” Ms Sant Fournier said as her husband added: “It makes you realise what some people have to go through when they have to walk for hours to get water.”
Their 16-year-old daughter agreed saying: “It was a positive experience for a good cause and the message was not to give up, something that applies to life in general, I guess.”
www.puttinucares.org