Derbyshire film premiere spotlights good sports' who walked 50 miles through Derbyshire

Chris Bethell, Niall O’ Reilly and Aiden Robson, who work for Rural Derbyshire Sports Partnership teaching sport and PE to students in schools, walked from one of their schools in Edale to another in Dovedale.

Their documentary – The Walk – will be shown at the Wirksworth Free Film Festival on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 4pm in the town’s Royal Oak pub.

Nick Archer, who shot and edited the film, said: “It was an epic walk, with plenty of ups and downs, involving trials that ranged from painful blisters and torrential rain, to getting separated and avoiding cows. They started at 9.30pm, and completed it around 8.30pm the following day… it took longer than expected due to some unforeseen and interesting adventures!

"The guys raised over the £1000 they were aiming for before they even completed the walk on the day.”

In the film, Chris, Niall and Aidan share their motivations, fears, and the profound sense of fulfilment that comes from contributing to a cause larger than themselves. Viewers will witness the camaraderie that develops among the team, as well as the generosity and support they receive from communities along their route.

Nick, who is a digital marketing assistant at Rural Action Derbyshire (RAD), said: “Chris approached RAD with their proposal to complete a 30-mile walk (which later become 50 miles) in order to raise money for food banks through our Feeding Derbyshire project. They asked for help promoting the effort. I offered to walk some of it with them, and to film and produce a documentary about the challenge. I walked with them for around eight hours of the journey, and the edit took around three weeks to complete, which included a sound mix from professional sound engineer, Keith Morrison.

“Saturday’s film festival screening, organised by Ruby Mortimer, will be the film’s ‘soft launch’. We’ll be launching it on our YouTube channel and other festivals soon, as well as organising our own screening.”

Attendees and those unable to make it to the screening are invited to contribute to the cause by donating to the food banks in Derbyshire.