Looking at them, you would not bet on these pilgrims making it. A couple have recently had hip replacements, one a heart surgery, another an eighty year old dodgy knee - whilst others have suffered a sprinkling of other injuries that one picks up in your seventies – yes, the average age of the pilgrims will be over seventy. They are the walking wounded.

Why go through the challenge? You may well ask. The answer is to raise money for this fantastic cause and to inspire you to make a donation so that we can resource a much needed sensory room and garden for Autistic and Downs syndrome children in Agrupamento Escolas Silves Sul.

The children need a calm, safe haven to enable them to benefit fully from their time in school. The dedicated teachers at the school need the tools and resources to provide the children with the necessary skills to live independently in the future.

Each pilgrim will be supported by a class of pupils at the Agrupamento Escolas Silves Sul and carry a mascot presented to them by their class so that the pilgrims can share their experience daily with the school children. Progress and events on the walk will be shared via our GoFundMe page, a blog and social media.

Silves Rotary Club Pilgrims are asking your help to raise 20,000 Euros, 100% of your donations will go to turn that old classroom and scrubby garden into a harmonious learning space with all the necessary resources. Any contribution no matter how small is welcome.

You can kindly donate at GoFundMe.com via our page “Help Pilgrims Change Kids Lives” or via www.silvesrotaryclub.org. For more information, please email MOC.rotarysilves@gmail.com or please call 912 549 99.