Spotsylvania Educator to Complete England's Coast to Coast Walk, Raising Funds for Mental Health Services
Heidi Tippett is raising donations for Mental Health America Fredericksburg Region.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Email Adele
Heidi Tippett likens the journey she will be traveling across England later this month to a journey through life.
The 192-mile Coast to Coast walk—which Tippett is completing to raise funds for Mental Health America Fredericksburg Region—starts out in the town of St. Bees on the western coast of England with beautiful views of the Irish Sea.
Then it goes into the Lake District, the most rugged and mountainous part of the journey.
“It’s kind of like in our life—[when we’re young] we have so many challenges and ups and downs, and things are exciting and beautiful, but then we go back down, and then up again,” said Tippett, who works as a social worker both in Spotsylvania County schools and in private practice.
The middle part of the trail goes through the Yorkshire Dales, which are gentle rolling hills, meadows, and fertile farmland.
After that, walkers enter the North York Moors, which are stark and can appear barren.
“It’s kind of a wasteland and you have to find the beauty within,” Tippett said. “You just have to keep going, because at the end is beauty again [at Robin Hood Bay on the North Sea on the eastern coast] and you’ve reached the end of your journey. It’s like a reflection of life.”
Through it all will be rain—because it is England—along with blisters, the possibility of getting lost, and the challenge of walking an average of 15 miles every day for 13 days. Navigating all that will be a lesson in the importance of having a flexible brain that can problem solve, as opposed to having a “rock brain” that stubbornly clings to one idea, Tippett said.
Having a flexible brain is one of the main tools Tippett works to develop in the elementary students she works with, who are dealing with much higher levels of anxiety since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Kids were by themselves—they were schooling online and their friendships have become online friendships, instead of ‘let’s go play in the park’ friendships,” Tippett said. “One of the messages I want to share [through doing the Coast to Coast walk] is that even when it’s raining, you can still go out and play.”
Tippett first decided early this year to complete the Coast to Coast walk—which was created in the 1970s by Alfred Wainwright and will become an official National Trail in 2026—for her own mental health.
“Really since COVID, things have been very stressful for teachers, for social workers, for counselors, for administrators, and for outside therapists, too,” she said. “As I started planning for myself, I thought, ‘By taking care of myself, can I take care of others?’ Because I do believe that one way we can help our own mental health—along with taking care of ourselves, exercising, and being grateful—is to help others.”
Tippett decided to walk to raise funds for Mental Health America Fredericksburg Region. She’s collecting donations at her website, where people can also see her daily schedule and follow her progress starting on May 27.
The website also includes a Kids Corner, with links to resources so children can learn about the places Tippett will walk through. The route traverses three National Parks, and one of them—Lake District National Park—is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Kids can simulate completing the Coast to Coast walk with Tippett. They’re invited to assign a coin value to each mile and use math to track daily miles completed and money earned. They can choose to donate the total amount to MHA. And they can compare the daily weather where they are to the weather Tippett is experiencing in England, and pledge to play outdoors for a certain number of minutes per mile she walks each day.
Tippett said Coast to Coast walkers have a tradition of picking up a stone from the Irish Sea where the journey starts, carrying that stone with them, and throwing it into the North Sea at the end of the journey.
“If people want to join me on the journey in memory or honor of a person, I have committed to carrying a rock for them, and either bringing it back or throwing it into the sea,” she said. “Donations are important for MHA to continue their mission, but I also want to bring awareness of mental health and I do want to honor people that are going through hard times. So I’m committed to carrying as many rocks as I have to carry, because those people will help me through.”
Support the Advance with an Annual Subscription or Make a One-time Donation
The Advance has developed a reputation for fearless journalism. Our team delivers well-researched local stories, detailed analysis of the events that are shaping our region, and a forum for robust, informed discussion about current issues.
We need your help to do this work, and there are two ways you can support this work.
Sign up for annual, renewable subscription.
Make a one-time donation of any amount.
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”