While thousands of Middlesbrough supporters prepared to travel to Old Trafford by road and rail, Claire Streeter and Alice Hutchinson chose a more demanding route: 106 miles on foot from the Riverside Stadium.
The walk was organised to raise money for an MFC Foundation dementia hub at the Riverside. A third walker, Abbey Lyle, began the challenge with them but had to withdraw after breaking her foot.
Chasing the total as well as the finish
By the time Claire and Alice were closing in on Manchester, donations had passed £9,000. Their target was £10,000, and they used the final stage of the walk to ask Boro supporters to help carry the fundraising over the line.
Claire had spent six years working for MFC Foundation before joining the EFL Trust, so she knew the community work behind the appeal. The proposed hub was intended to support people living with dementia across Teesside, using the football club and stadium as a familiar point of connection.
The distance took a physical and mental toll. Claire said the messages arriving during the route helped the pair keep moving, even when replying to every supporter became impossible.
Football support turned outwards
The challenge borrowed the momentum of a big cup trip but directed some of it back into the community. The 9,500 travelling supporters gave the walkers a natural audience, while the route between the two stadiums made the fundraiser easy to understand.
Football-based dementia work can offer more than a venue. Club memories, old matches and shared loyalties provide conversation and routine for people whose recall may be changing, while sessions also create support and company for families and carers.
Claire and Alice’s walk did not create that service on its own, but it gave the project and a start towards its costs. Abbey’s injury also underlined the difficulty of what the group had attempted.
As kick-off approached, the two remaining walkers had one finish line in Manchester and another on the fundraising page. Their message to fellow supporters was simple: back the community with the same energy they gave the team.
Archive : Distance, fundraising and participant details were checked against The Tees article originally published on 11 February 2022. The original date and featured image are preserved.