On Sunday 22nd June 2025, 1,079 CRY supporters of all ages and from different parts of the country took part in the annual CRY Heart of London Bridges Walk. This is in addition to the two supporters who registered to take part in My Walk For CRY, to walk and raise awareness in their local community. This year marked the 30th year of CRY as a charity, and the 19th year of the walk.
The day is an opportunity for people to connect with friends, other families with similar experiences, while raising awareness of CRY’s ongoing work to help reduce the incidence of young sudden cardiac death. It was incredibly moving to see supporters coming together, wearing their personalised CRY T-shirts and holding CRY branded flags as they walked in memory, or support, of a family member or friend.
In addition to those walking in memory or in support of someone with a diagnosis, there were many groups and individuals who took part to support CRY as charity and our aim to save young lives.
Beginning the walk in Southwark Park, supporters gathered in front of the bandstand as CRY consultant cardiologist Professor Sanjay Sharma thanked participants:
“There are no words to describe just how full of admiration we are for all of you. We know that you have been through multiple adversities. So many of you have lost friends, children, spouses, parents, yet you’ve channelled all that pain into raising awareness to make sure something like this will not happen to other families.”
CRY Chief Executive Dr Steven Cox spoke next, thanking CRY Patron Andy Scott for leading our walk, and to the incredible volunteers, sponsors, vendors, and staff who made the day possible.
“Thank you to each and every one of you. It is such a powerful sight and privilege to stand here and see so many of you gathered in memory of so many young people.
“This walk will mean something different to every one of you. For those of you who are joining us for the first time today, whether you’re walking alone or walking with family and friends, we hope this will be one day where the people around you will understand the impact of what has happened.”
Speaking of CRY, Steve continued:
“What has always made CRY unique is that this is your movement. This is a movement which is made up of thousands of stories, personal legacies and acts of remembrance that have raised awareness within every corner of the UK. School campaigns, community events, social media appeals, charity runs, cake sales, concerts and walks like today. Each of these is part of something much bigger […]
“CRY began many years ago because one person took a stand. It continues because of you, your courage, your determination and your refusal not to give up. Because of you, young lives are being saved. Thank you for your support and your belief in what we can achieve together.”
Following the speeches, a one-minute silence was observed in a collective moment of reflection.
At 11am walkers set off on the scenic 6.5-mile route along the Thames, that took them across Tower Bridge, around the historic Tower of London, over Millenium Bridge and along Bankside, before returning to the finish at Southwark Park.
With scavenger hunts in hand, our young participants set off along the route, keeping an eye out for a range of features along the walk, including Sam Wanamaker’s blue plaque, a large cat statue sitting on top of the Thames wall, and a striking mural depicting Saint Olave. One young explorer who successfully completed the scavenger hunt received a family hamper donated by Denise, the Community Champion from Tesco Leatherhead Superstore – featuring a teddy bear, chocolates and a bottle of prosecco (for the adults to enjoy later!)
At the finish line, walkers were presented with a choice of a CRY medal, pin badge or keyring, before enjoying the CRY Family Picnic. Supporters were invited to relax and recharge with a selection of delicious food and drinks available in Southwark Park. We would like to extend our thanks to the following: Brat Bros, Chocolate Balloons, Eat Argentina, Freewheelin’, Golden Happy Chippy Van, Howe & Co Fish and Chips, and Smokin’ Bean Coffee Truck for providing such excellent nourishment for the event.
As it was a particularly hot day, families relaxed at our picnic tables beneath the trees, where they connected with one another and enjoyed the jazz performances delivered by Stephen Pierre and a group of musicians from UMAT.
Thank you to Jo Parker, who led a range of fun children’s activities throughout the afternoon, including lively parachute games, bubbles and creative arts and crafts that kept our younger participants happily entertained. We are so grateful to Stephen Pierre, UMAT and Jo for donating their time to CRY.
We would like to extend our gratitude to all the amazing volunteers who helped make the day such a success. Whether you were marshalling along the walk route, taking photos or handing out water to keep everyone hydrated, your support was invaluable. Your efforts made the day run smoothly and created a welcoming and safe atmosphere for everyone involved.
Photos from the day can be found on our Flickr account, please feel free to download and use these. Click below to view.
We would like to extend our thanks to our amazing team of volunteers. Your assistance is what makes events like this possible!
CRY’s volunteers were:
Alison Button; Dan Button; Cara Brookes; Krizstina Cserhalmi; Julie and Michael Essex; Sheila Foster; Jonny Gilman; Lindsey Gilman; Vada Green; Katie Harris; Kelvin Holt; Jo and Nick Hudson; Sai Jampana; David Jewell; Emma Jordan; Liz and Martin Kerwood; Mathew McCarthy; Rikesh Mistry; Vijay Mohan; Cyril Molony; Jo and Jonny Parker: Pete and Sue Robinson; Ellen Scott; Dean Sharpe; Vikram Shee; Jos Sizer; Alison Stevens; Omolade Taiwo; Dai Taylor; Gillian Walker; Paul Ward; Fiona and Lucy Wasdell-Bowyer; Ash Wasdell-Lane; Marion and Matt Wilson; Rebecca Zouvani.
Thank you to our event sponsors: Chubb, ServiceMaster Clean and Tesco Superstore Leatherhead.
This year’s participants were walking and volunteering in memory of:
Ian Allen, Robert Andall, Suril Amin, Graeme Bast, Rachel Bast, Claire Beer, Philip Bergman, Daniel Blackman, Susan Bowyer, Emma Broad, Katrina Brown, Patrick Bucknall, Graham Button, Alistair Calvert, Joshan Carr, Andrew Carter, Tom Clabburn, Ben Coleman, Michael Connolly, Sarah Corbett, Sam Cross, Jonathan Crowhurst, Paul Davies, James Decker, Adam Dearnley, Neil Desai, Mathew Dewhirst, Adam Donnelly, Ashlea Eaton, Tom Elton-Barrett, Damien Ewing-Brand, Harry Faulkner, Conor James Feeney, Therese Field, Anthony Fitzgerald, Elise Fitzpatrick, Robert Fitzpatrick, Miles Goodchild, Olivia Gow, Edward Greed, David Green, Joe Grew, Kayleigh Griffiths, Matthew Hadfield, Shamil Hamid, Ben Hammond, Megan Harding-Jones, Jordan Hardwick, Summer Harris, Jannik Lam, Michael Harper, Jude Harvey, Jonathan Hayman, Freddie Haynes, Toby Hayward-Seers, Ralph ‘Ed’ Hicks, Stuart Hoepper, Jono Holmes, Samuel Hovhannisyan, Daniel Hughes, Sam Jarvis, Damien Jewell, Bryn Jones, Ricky ‘Boo’ Jones, Natasha Kay, Sam Keating, Jenny Kerwood, Harry King, Ross Klein, William Lane, Miriam Lee, Peter Lent, Liam Levett, Tommy Lloyd, Marie Manhire-Clarke, Josh Manku, Balinder Mann, James Markham, Claire Mayger, Luke Meekings, Steve Miastowski, Olivia Moorman, Owen Morris, Lizzie Nee, Matthew Notley, Alfie Nunn, Ben O’Connell, Max Oliver, Thomas Padmore, Jaime Paul, Danny Peterson, Tom Petley, Andi James Lee Pickering, Christopher Pilcher, Craig Powell, Alden Price, Claire Prosser, Bobby Puri, Ali Qasim Nizami, Fabio Henrique Ramos, Christoper Rushton, Evan Robertson, Robert Rowan, Ricki Savage, Paul Sheridan, Evan Shonfield, Sukhwinder Singh, Aashi Sinha, Cameron Slater, David Smith, Sam Smith, Conor Southwood, Hannah Stanton, Jono Stead, Lewis Stewart, Paul Sykes, Ross Taylor, Ryan Terry, Evan Thomas, Nicholas Thomas, William Thomas, Ollie Thompson, Ashley Trigg, Curtis Tuck, Isabelle Tudisca, Barry Turner, Lee Vose, Patrick Walsh, Benjamin Walker, Sally Wells, Amy Williams and Paddy Wilson.