Johnnie's Walk

Johnnie’s Walk took place in the aftermath of Johnnie’s untimely death and became a potent vehicle for his loved ones to express their love for Johnnie and their grief at his loss. It was the brainchild of Giles Milburn, a lifelong friend of Johnnie Douglas-Pennant and of his whole family. Johnnie died in a drowning accident in September 2004 at the age of 17. Giles’s idea was to join together two of the themes that ran through Johnnie’s life – his beloved Saints (Southampton Football Club) and the Scottish island of Jura where his family have spent their summer holidays for many years, whilst at the same time raising money for a good cause. This involved a walk of approximately 600 miles linking these two places, and lasting for six weeks in July and August 2005.

The walk had three main aims. The first aim was to remember Johnnie. With this in mind some of his ashes were carried by the walkers. It was planned to scatter them in a very special place on Jura where his sister Anna’s ashes are also scattered. The second aim was to raise a lot of money for a medical research project being financed by the Anna Trust, and conducted by the medical team at Southampton University – see below. The third aim was to have as much fun as possible, make new friends, and see some wonderful parts of England and Scotland.

These aims were resoundingly realised. Over 140 people joined the walk at various stages, and no one ever seemed to want to leave. An average of about seventeen miles a day was covered. The atmosphere generated was incredible and the participants were treated to the most extraordinary generosity by the friends and friends of friends with whom they stayed/camped for most of the nights en route. The walkers were sponsored far more generously than was ever dreamed. The original fundraising target for the walk was £25,000, out of a total budget for the Infection Detection research project of £500,000, and to achieve this each walker had to try and raise a minimum of £50 per walking day.

The sum eventually raised by the walk topped an astonishing £285,000.

A further joyful fact was that Milly got engaged to her Spanish boyfriend Manolo at the end of the walk, and they were married from home in July 2006.