Walk Tonbridge Festival
11-26 September 2021
A celebration of walking, Tonbridge, community and countryside.
The first ever Walk Tonbridge Festival included a packed festival programme of unique walks and community events as we looked to pull a town together once more whilst raising vital funds for Sustain, a local food bank.
The Fringe
The Fringe was a programme of special events in and around Tonbridge that celebrated community and culture whilst raising money and awareness for our charity partner Sustain.
2021’s programme was enjoyed by thousands of local people across the festival period, as we encouraged our local institutions and pubs to join our celebration of all things local.
In addition to art installations, a photography exhibition and a children’s artwork competition, there was also a local drinks festival, pop up tea rooms, a community litter pick and a family fun day.
Check out our gallery to see exactly what we got up to!
Guided Walks
We carefully curated a selection of guided walks in and around Tonbridge, offering walkers the chance to try something, learn something or meet someone new over the festival period!
There were walks for all tastes and ages. Including nordic walking, a family friendly nature walk, a WW1 history walks, photography tuition walks, Nordic walking tasters, storytelling walks, a Jane Austen themed history walk and our very own ‘Sunset Social’ walk.
The guided walks were led by local experts that volunteered their services so meaning we could donate the proceeds from the ticket sales to our charity partner Sustain.
Paths less trodden
During the Walk Tonbridge Festival we launched a series of limited edition self-guided walks, that were only available for the duration of the festival period.
Walkers were invited to pick up directions for a new walk in exchange for a donation at one of our collection points - The Kentish Rifleman, The Plough Inn at Leigh and The Bell Inn, Golden Green.
With the support of our local pubs we were able to collect a significant amount of food donations for Sustain, whilst raising awareness for this amazing charity.
The Marathon
Supported by CooperBurnett Solicitors and in collaboration with our local pubs, the inaugural Walk Tonbridge marathon saw four teams taking on a challenging 26.2 mile walk around Tonbridge and its surrounding countryside.
In total 17 walkers took part, as well as a small army of volunteers which manned check points along the route, providing encouragement and guidance for the walkers.
Friends and families were able to provide support at the pubs en-route, with some opting to walking shorter distances alongside the marathon walkers.
This epic challenge raised thousands for our festival charity, Sustain.
Our Charity Partner
By supporting our events our festival raised vital funds for this wonderful local charity.
SUSTAIN Food Bank is run by Tonbridge Baptist Church for those living in Tonbridge and surrounding areas facing food poverty.
Each week SUSTAIN provides an average of 80 emergency food parcels. A family parcel costs £50 and an individual parcel costs £25 to put together, a total cost of between £2,000 - £2,500 each week.