On Sunday 18 October 2026, 51 walkers laced up their walking boots for The Big Little Trail, taking on a scenic 9.5-mile journey along the Grand Union Canal from Watford General to Hemel Hempstead Hospital. Together, they raised almost £6,000 to support paediatric care across West Herts Hospitals.
Under bright blue skies, whether participants walked self-guided or joined one of our friendly guided walking groups departing from 8am, everyone played a vital part in making the day a resounding success. Participants included many staff members from West Herts Hospitals who stepped out to support the event.
Among the participants was Peter Taylor, Elected Mayor of Watford, who completed the 9.5-mile route alongside Charity CEO Alison Rosen. Watford MP Matt Turmaine also joined the event to show his support, as well as Dr Sankara Narayanan, Consultant Neonatologist at Watford General (pictured fourth from the left in Cassiobury Park above), who took on the walk with his team.
A special mention also goes to Chief Nurse Kelly McGovern and Deputy Chief Nurse Melanie Chambers (pictured above), who were first over the line, finishing in a record-breaking 2 hours and 34 minutes, 20 minutes ahead of the next finishers!
“The Big Little Trail was such a wonderful day, and I was delighted to walk alongside so many dedicated members of our local community. Raising almost £6,000 for our paediatric services is a fantastic achievement. These funds will make a real, lasting difference to our youngest patients and their families across West Herts when they need us most. Thank you to every walker, volunteer, sponsor, and local business who supported us.” — Alison Rosen, Chief Executive, West Herts Hospitals Charity
Going above and beyond for Paediatric Services
All funds raised from the event will directly supporting paediatric services across our hospitals. NHS funding provides essential medical care, but our amazing participants are helping us go above and beyond standard resources to purchase state-of-the-art equipment and transform hospital spaces for our youngest patients and their families.
The money raised will help fund transformative projects, including:
BabyWorks Ultrasound Simulator: Advanced training technology that enables clinical teams to practice complex neonatal and paediatric ultrasound scans in a safe learning environment.
Paediatric MRI Entertainment System: Immersive audiovisual distraction technology to help put young patients at ease during scans, reducing the need for sedation.
Watford General Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre Paediatric Area: Transforming the Urgent Treatment Centre into a welcoming, child-friendly space tailored specifically for younger patients.
Thanking our incredible community
An event like this takes a village, and we want to send our gratitude to everyone who helped bring it together:
- Our sponsors and host: A huge thank you to Sigma Pharmaceuticals plc and Afya Pharmacy, who jointly donated £2,500 to power the initiative, and to our event delivery partner, the Canal & River Trust.
- Event support: Thank you to the team at Sky Blue Events for their invaluable help.
- Rest stops: Thank you to Café in the Park and Cedar Café in Cassiobury Park, as well as Marion Eccles, at The Red Lion Pub in Nash Mills, who kindly supported the walk as part of her community café work and surprised walkers with free pastries, cakes, and refreshments.
- Generous donations: Thank you to Tesco Extra Watford and to Community Champion Seema, Morrisons Watford and Community Champion Shelley Crawford, David from Five a Day fruit stall, and Compass and Shannon Gipson and Lee for providing tea, coffee, and biscuits.
- Our fantastic volunteers: Thank you to Lacey Harber, Staff Charity Champion Selina Sesay, Trust volunteers Steve Walcholder, Mike Stansfield, and Caroline Trotman, and our Charity Chair Heather Moulder, who was on hand to present finishers with their medals.
Thank you for helping us make a difference to local children, day after day!
Event Photo Gallery
Take a look through our image gallery below to see some of the wonderful highlights from the day!
