Farthingstone Foot Fest 2026:

Once again the Foot Fest seemed to be enjoyed by participants and helpers alike. After a night worrying about the effect on everyone of a forecasted complete day of rain - especially Checkpoint helpers sat still for hours - the actual day was mostly dry and perfect for lots of activity. And activity we got: most of the enrolled entrants braved the forecast and ran or walked their hearts out and came back with huge smiles on their faces (and the odd limp). Well done everyone!

And a massive thanks to all the volunteers who checked everyone in and out plus provided the food.

Certificates will be sent via Email as soon as we can manage it along with a list of times taken (always incredible considering the challenges of the course). We will also publicise the amount raised for village charities and activities of which 10% will be donated to Macmillans cancer charity. There may even be some photos if they have come out....

The Farthingstone Foot Fest Course:

Starting and finishing at the Village Hall in Farthingstone, the FFF covers a full 26 mile Marathon distance which is a challenging (there are a lot of stiles together with a number of kissing gates and other obstacles) figure of eight route through our immediately adjacent, wonderful, rolling landscape. The route covers stretches of the Macmillan Way, the Knightley Way and Nene Way, passes across fields, through woods and beautiful villages and along the Grand Union Canal and is wonderfully varied.

In addition, alternative distances are available being single loop 12, 13 and 15 mile options so that the widest possible number of participants can enjoy the day.

There are manned Check Points throughout which provide refreshments and there is an after-event meal served from the Village Hall. In addition, there is a FREE Beer (or soft drink alternative) to enjoy with the meal.

'FFF' June 2024:

A grand total of 150 participants came and puffed their way around our lovely countryside, big smiles on their faces irrespective of the challenges encountered.
Thank you to you all for coming and sharing a very happy day. And thank you to the team who cooked and checked everyone past and made it all happen. As one participant very nicely put it:
'I thoroughly enjoyed the day, so friendly, well organised and such lovely views. It was a treat from start to finish.'
For those who take note of such things, the 'winning' time for the full distance was something over 5 hours (very well done given our challenging terrain!). And we raised over £2000 for village charities and activities plus over £200 for Macmillan Cancer Support - so thanks and well done everyone!

Here are a few photos as souvenirs from the day:

Farthingstone Foot Fest: how it started:

The Farthingstone Foot Fest was created to raise money for the Farthingstone community to help provide funding for activities other than for the general requirements of the main establishments.

Farthingstone, in common with many small villages, enjoys a number of local amenities especially: St Mary's Church, the Baptist Chapel, the Joy Mead gardens and the Village Hall. Most fund-raising activities had, through necessity, concentrated on raising money for essential maintenance programmes but because of this, many other desirable pursuits were unable to be achieved through lack of funds.

In addition to the amenities already mentioned, Farthingstone is also graced by being surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in Northamptonshire. An opportunity to make the most of this was recognised and the Farthingstone Foot Fest (FFF) was devised as an event for both runners and walkers of all age groups to take part.

Achievements to date:

This is truly a community event and - thanks to the fantastic involvement each year of so many volunteers making each of the annual Foot Fests such a success - since the first event in 2009 approximately 1,000 entrants from all over the country have taken part and over £12,500 has been raised allowing us to support various community-based institutions and local inhabitants. To date these include:

- Stage lighting for the Farthingstone actors in the Village Hall
- Donation towards the Farthingstone Cricket Club House
- Lawn mower for Joy Mead
- Outdoor games for the Joy Mead
- Tuning of the organ in St Marys Church
- Kick-starting money for the excellent 'Farthingstone's Got Talent' event
- Donation to a village student for support towards working in an African Orphanage
- Kick-starting money for the formation of the Farthingstone Cricket Club
- A new play area with balance beams for the kids
- A beautiful new bench for walkers to rest on
- Public Address System for indoor and outdoor events for use by the Village Hall and Joy Mead
- Lighting for the Joy Mead

Money has also been raised each year, through entrant sponsorship efforts, for national institutions including:

- Macmillan Cancer Support
- Unicef
- Alzheimers Society

Community Support:

If you have a local project in mind that you believe can be assisted with or funded by the FFF funds, please contact any member of the FFF committee:

Debbie Mason
Andy de Hutiray
Chris FitzGerald
Becky Chambers
Peter Stanton