On behalf of myself, my wife, Susan and Pete Drummond, I wish to announce that we have made the very difficult decision that 2022 will be our final year as organisers of Hope Trail Festival.From its inception in 2014, borne from an idea to assist our fundraising attempts towards our Marathon des Sables challenge, we have been privileged and honoured to meet some amazing people. Through the kind support and hard work of our sponsors, suppliers, vendors and volunteers we have been able to deliver a multi-award-winning event that has provided many of you the springboard to develop as runners; meet new friends and challenge yourselves to the best of your abilities.
As a collective, we have raised tens of thousands for local and national charities, notably for Hope for Children and Dartmoor Search & Rescue Team (Plymouth).
There are many reasons for this decision, and it has not come lightly. We are all heading in new directions with retirement, family and new jobs and it has become increasingly difficult to balance the time and commitments with the tremendous amount of work the event takes.
It is safe to say, it has always been a challenge managing full time operational roles in the Fire Service and parenthood to deliver a fun and safe event. But I think we can be extremely proud of what we have achieved, and this is demonstrated by the distance people travel to experience the atmosphere we provide, and you create.
Going forward we are discussing several options that may keep Hope Trail Festival alive and we hope to be able to make an announcement in due course. That being said, any persons willing to discuss taking over the event can email myself at info@hopetrailfestival.co.uk.
In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you all in July and promise to make this year, our final, another great event, we will affectionately know as The Last Great Hope.
Danny, Susan & Pete
