250 miles is pushing things for a pasty
Curiously, many of them shared the same surname – Treloar – or at least their relatives did.
It was also the name of one William Purdie Treloar, described as a man of vision, and a Helstonian who eventually became Lord Mayor of London.
He wanted to build a better future for disadvantaged children and Treloars, which provides education, care, therapy, medical support and independence training to young people with physical disabilities from all over the UK and overseas, at its Alton base in Hampshire has been doing just that for a century.
Tens of thousands of young people have benefited from William's foresight.
Steve Speczyk, the father of a former student, and who works for Treloar College, came up with the idea of a sponsored fund-raising walk.
More to the point, it was also decided to carry a symbol of Cornwall from Helston to Alton, and what better representation of the county than a pasty?
Ginsters was approached and came up with an appropriately sized pasty which was even given its own cart on which to travel from county to county.
Next, it was felt a good idea to invite Treloar's descendants to play a large part in the proceedings and what might have seemed difficult turned out to be exceedingly easy.
Said Steve: "I've only been to this area once before and that was on a reconnaisance trip.
"We visited the Halzephron Inn (just outside Helston) and spoke to the landlady Angella Thomas, who turned out to be a Treloar, so the first person we spoke to in Cornwall was a Treloar."
One of the next turned out to be Helston town clerk Chris Dawson, who is also from Treloar stock.
Four generations of the same family were also on hand for the first leg of the Pass the Pasty, from Helston to Truro which received a send-off from the Royal Navy at RNAS Culdrose.
Helston-based police officer Nigel Treloar, his father Doug, brother Richard and Richard's son Ethan were all present, either to walk or to lend moral support.
The route is about 250 miles and is expected to take about two weeks.
Steve said: "The intention, as always, is to raise money.
"The demands of the 21st century have changed. The students have greater demands because of the more profound disabilities that are represented.
"New halls of residence have to be built to accommodate their needs and the more stringent regulations that cover places such as Treloars."
For more information on Treloars, you should visit their website at www.treloar.org.uk, or log on to www.passthepasty.com
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