The special reason Lancashire walkers are taking on a non-stop 17-hour challenge
The event is hoping to raise at least £50,000.
“You can achieve anything if you have the right support around you.”
That’s the message from a mental health charity fundraiser who’s joined forces with nine other charities for a £50,000 dawn ‘til dusk walking challenge.
Andrea Pollard, fundraising lead at Leyland-based Lancashire Mind, first came up with the idea of the 17-hour walking challenge - around an athletics track on the longest day of the year - in 2022. Back then, she was working for Burnley Leisure and Culture and raised £1,500 for Lancashire Mind.
Fast-forward to 2026 and after several successful annual events, known as the Summer Solstice Walking Challenge, 10 charities will be involved in two walking challenges this year, one in Blackburn and one in Burnley.
Andrea said: “By coming together to work in collaboration we have a stronger voice, spreading the message that you can achieve anything if you have the right support around you. The ambition is to raise at least £50,000 for services across the county, supporting people with their mental health and further wraparound care. There is so much good work happening across Lancashire, we want to shout about it all to make sure people can get the help they need. At Lancashire Mind, we know that meaningful change often starts with a single idea and a single step.”
It all started a decade after Andrea’s own mental health challenges when she wanted to mark the journey she’d been on and dedicate the longest day of the year to mental health conversations, raising vital funds and awareness.
She said: “My goal was to create a space for people to come together, have meaningful conversations, and guide them to the help they needed. At that time, I hadn’t even walked 10k, nor had I participated in any charity events. I probably didn’t fully grasp how challenging this day would be.
Highlighting mental health
“My primary motivation was to help people and highlight mental health issues in Burnley. I aimed to raise funds for Lancashire Mind to support their incredible work across the county. Having been affected by suicide twice and on the 10th anniversary of my own mental health struggles, I felt it was time to give back.
“Ten years earlier, I had been off work for three months due to stress and anxiety. In 2012, admitting this and discussing it with friends and family was still very difficult. I wanted to advocate for openness on the subject and encourage people to share, open-up, and seek help if needed. In that first year, we raised £1,500 for Lancashire Mind, which was absolutely amazing to me!
“Although my hips gave up around 6pm, I still managed to walk around 47 miles and crossed the finish line at 9.43pm. The following year in 2023, we raised a similar amount for more local charities, then in 2024 we saw a significant increase with over £4,000 raised for two charities.
“Unfortunately, 2023 also brought a dip in my mental health due to a traumatic IVF round, resulting in two miscarriages. Each year reinforces the importance of raising awareness about available support. I know last year’s event saved a life by helping someone get the assistance they desperately needed. As I’ve said each year, if we can help even one person, the effort is worth it.”
Coming full circle
After joining Lancashire Mind’s fundraising team last year and organising the event once again, it raised just under £14,000 between three charities. Andrea now sees in her day-to-day work how vital these events are for sustaining life-changing services.
She said: “The impact of this event on current projects and services is immense. Knowing that there is a project (Together after loss) in Blackburn with Darwen to support families bereaved through baby loss is incredible. And its projects like that which would have helped me through my own heartbreak.”
Setting new challenges - charities unite
2026 is set to be the biggest year yet with 10 charities involved; Carefit CIC, Child Action North West, East Lancashire Down’s Syndrome Association, HAPPA, Healthier Heroes, Lancashire Mind, Nightsafe, Red Rose Recovery, Shine Coaching and Strength in Struggles.
This year’s events take place on Thursday, June 18 at 4.37am (sunrise) at Barden Athletics Track, New Hall Street, Burnley, BB10 1JH and Monday, June 22 at 4.35am at Witton Park athletics track, Preston Old Road, Blackburn, BB2 2PT.
How to take part
If you’d like to take part in the walk for one of the charities, email: [email protected] or to support the event with corporate sponsorship, email: [email protected]