Barefoot Because

28/06/2026

A little update from us 👣

When Megan and I set off on our 40-mile barefoot walk, we knew there was no guarantee we would reach our fundraising target. We simply hoped that, by putting one foot in front of the other, we might help a young person continue chasing a dream that he has worked incredibly hard to earn.

Thanks to the kindness of so many people, we raised an amazing £850. To everyone who donated, shared a post, sent a message of encouragement or simply followed along with our journey — thank you. You helped make every mile worthwhile.

Sadly, with time running out for visas and travel arrangements, it has become clear that we haven't raised enough to get Sebastian to this year's World Championships.

But this is not the end of the story.

Sebastian's international karate journey is not a once-off opportunity. He continues to train, to grow and to earn his place on the world stage through hard work and dedication.

So, with the full support of Sebastian and his family, the funds raised through this walk will be ringfenced and put towards his next World Championship campaign, should he qualify. We've even heard rumours that the 15th WUKF World Championships in 2027 may be held in Italy — and what a wonderful goal that would be to work towards.

The walking may be over, but the journey continues.

Thank you for walking this road with us, and for believing, as we do, that small acts of kindness and determination can help shape someone's future ❤️.

Charmaine & Megan

11/06/2026

📻🎙️Did you hear it?

Yesterday morning, Megan and I had the pleasure of joining Steve Harris on BBC Dorset Radio Solent's Breakfast Show to chat about our 40-mile barefoot walk and why we decided to take on the challenge. Listeners also heard a short thank-you message from Sebastian, all the way from South Africa 🇿🇦🇬🇧

A huge thank you to Steve and the team at BBC Radio Solent (Dorset) for taking an interest in our story and giving us the opportunity to share it 📣

This clip is only about 4 minutes long, so if you have a quiet moment, we'd love for you to have a listen ❤️. The full interview can be found by clicking on the link in the comments.

And although the walking has finished, the reason behind it hasn't. The GoFundMe page is still open, and every share, every message of encouragement and every donation helps support Sebastian's international karate journey 🦶🥋

Thank you for continuing to walk this road with us 👣



Charmaine Bruijns

07/06/2026

While hiking barefoot has its challenges, one of its joys is how much it slow us down.

When we're not rushing from A to B, we notice the little things — the scent of wild herbs underfoot, the flowers growing quietly along the path, and the gifts that nature offers if you simply pay attention.

On the first day of our walk (can it be a week ago already?!), we gathered wild mint, fennel and marestail for a warming cup of tea. The following day, our little trail-side blend included dog rose, elderflower and honeysuckle 🫖

Taking a few quiet moments to collect these little treasures and sit together with a warm mug in hand felt like a luxury.

This reel is a small celebration of the beautiful plants and flowers we encountered along the way. They were a gentle reminder that even during a challenging journey, there is always beauty to be found if we take the time to look for it 🌿🍃👣

05/06/2026

We had the loveliest surprise today 🤩

While following along with Sam Culley's latest update from the South West Coast Path, Megan and I discovered that our little barefoot adventure had made it into his video! Do yourself a favour and watch it now!

What struck us about Sam was his humility, love for life and the fact that he takes snails off the path so they don't get squished. In the words of Anne of Green Gables ... 'we met a kindred spirit'.

We just regret not getting that selfie with him, but we are so happy to see that he included us in his latest video update 👏

Thank you, Sam, for taking a moment to share our story and for giving our little project a bit of extra sunshine!

And if you have found your way here because of his video — welcome! We're just a mum and daughter who believe that small acts of determination and kindness can help change someone's future.

Our walk may be over, but Sebastian's 🥋 journey continues, and so does the fundraising.

Thank you for being part of it 👣

Charmaine & Megan

04/06/2026

04/06/2026

We are so happy to have reached the end of our 40-mile barefoot walk!

Yes, it was hard, at times very uncomfortable, but it was also incredibly rewarding.

We've met wonderful people, seen some breathtaking places and been reminded, once again, that small acts of determination really can make a difference.

A huge thank you to everyone who has followed our journey, encouraged us, shared our posts and supported us along the way. Your kindness and messages kept us going.

The walking may be over, but the fundraising isn't.

Please keep sharing our story and, if you are able, consider making a donation. Every contribution helps Sebastian continue his journey towards representing South Africa on the world stage.

Thank you for walking this road with us 🤍👣

Charmaine & Megan

04/06/2026

160-MILE BAREFOOT GRAND FINALE IN BRIXHAM TODAY! 🦶

Hitting a massive milestone today!

We started in Starcross on Sunday and are completing our grueling 40-mile trek yoday. This final leg officially completes a multi-year grand total of 160 miles walked barefoot to raise critical funds to help deserving young people - this year, to help Sebastian get to the Karate World Championships!

We will be crossing our final milestone at the Golden Hind ship in Brixham Harbour between 11:30 AM and 12:00 PM today (Thursday).

If you are in the area and see two tired women with heavy packs and bare feet walking past, please give us a wave! If you are following from afar, send us your messages of encouragement. They really do help!

Support the cause BarefootBecause
🥋🇿🇦

04/06/2026

“Walk as if you are kissing the earth with your feet” - Thich Nhat Hanh

03/06/2026

What started off as a wet and miserable walk on coarse, grit sandpaper, ended in a beautiful sunny afternoon.

We made good progress on the beach front and along several red sandy beaches.

On the way, we met two remarkably kind and generous people -
the first being Adrian who we met in a park in Paignton. He has rescued 19 dogs (of which 17 were spaniels) and gave us a very generous donation 🙏
The world is a better place because of you Adrian 🐾

To distract us from the rain, we tried out some GPS painting 👩🏻‍🎨🗺️📍

En route to Broadsands, we met two lovely ladies, Sarah and Sue, who told us to look out for ‘Simon’ who was running the coast path to raise money for the RNLI (or so we thought 😉). It turns out that it was in fact Sam Culley who is walking the entire coastal path and has already raised £61k for the mountain rescue! What an amazing feat!
Megan said....a kindred spirit ☺️

We started off really tired. My calves are very sore, but I can feel the soles of my feet toughening up.

📈 We covered 10 miles today, bringing our total for this walk to 35 miles 👣

The terrain today was much kinder to us and we feel really satisfied to have covered so much ground.



Charmaine Bruijns