Yahoo News Sunderland girl, 11, completes 20-mile challenge walk fundraising for North East foodbanks
Eleven-year-old Eva Milburn has completed an epic challenge she set herself, walking 20-miles fundraising for North East foodbanks.
Last summer, Eva made it her mission to collect as many donations as possible for foodbanks in the North East, after being "shocked" to learn how vital they are. She completed a 14-mile walk from her home in Sunderland, alongside her dad Mark, pushing a shopping trolley and donating meals to various foodbanks on the route, stopping at the Angel of the North during the journey. Eva successfully raised over £4000 and 400kg of food donations in total through various activities across 2023.
Eva, from East Herrington, Sunderland, has once again decided to fundraise for foodbanks - this year upping the challenge to 20-miles, which she successfully completed on Friday, August 16.
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Eva and her dad, Mark Milburn, armed with shopping trolley which they took turns pushing - set off from home and travelled to South Shields, stopping off at Penshaw Monument, the Northern Spire Bridge, Stadium of Light and Seaburn on route,
Donations were dropped off at Gateshead, Sunderland, and County Durham foodbanks, and Eva went into each shop to add to the food donations. "The walk was amazing with people stopping us along the route to ask what we were doing and donating," Eva said. "I really enjoyed walking to and from the different landmarks around Sunderland."
During the challenge, Eva stopped off at Stadium of Light, and was met by Sunderland Women's player Amy Goddard - who completed a lap around the stadium and then took Eva pitch-side and presented her with a signed football.
Family and friends then gathered down at Seaburn beach to meet Eva for a well earned rest, before she went on to complete the challenge in South Shields.
Despite the length of the walk, and being 'really tired towards the end', Eva's spirits were not dampened, and she even managed to fit some cartwheels in near the end, and enjoyed some well deserved fish and chips.
Eva's dad, Mark Milburn spoke of the reaction they received: "The support from family, friends and the local community has been incredible. Everyone has said how amazing Eva is and how we need more people in the world like her!"
Eva was first inspired to raise funds and awareness in December 2022, after asking family, friends and members of the church to join her in a reverse advent calendar for Gateshead foodbank, donating an item a day. Since then, Eva has continued her fundraising efforts, as Mark explained: "She wanted to do something this year as the need is still very much there. She wants to make a difference and this is one of the ways she can do that."
Eva's kindness and determination to help others was recognised last year, when she was awarded the Angel Award, for her fundraising efforts, from MP Liz Twist, in November 2023. Eva enjoyed going to the Metro Centre where she was presented with the award: "She was proud of herself and we, as parents, were very proud too," Mark added.
Gateshead Foodbank, part of the Trussel Trust’s network of foodbanks, works together with frontline Care Professionals to distribute food via a specialist distribution centre in central Gateshead. 2.5 tonnes of food per week is currently being distributed by the foodbank to local people who can not afford basic essentials.
It is hoped by completing the walk, Eva can surpass last years impressive total funds raised from this one big event. She is currently up to £2500 in donations, and is due to visit Sunderland foodbank this week with dad Mark, to drop off a number of bags of food donations that have been donated with Eva as the inspiration.
You can view updates and donate to Eva's GoFundMe page here.
