How It Went
Branka writes: “I would like to thank everybody involved in my sponsored walk. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, and my friends and family who walked with me to Holyland Wood left Pembroke School in good spirits, waved off by a supportive and friendly crowd. Everything went smoothly... and my feet were soaked in a nice lavender-scented bath afterwards. A glass of chilled champagne was also very welcome!
Here are some photos of the many supporters who turned up on the day. Many thanks to you all, and to everyone who has sponsored me. You can still donate here.”
Getting ready outside Pembroke School
Big crowd of supporters!
One supporter wore a Serbia football shirt!
Heading through Pembroke
Barefoot in Pembroke
Friends and family at the finishing line
What
A sponsored walk, barefoot, by Branka Drinić Williams in aid of flood victims in Bosnia and Serbia. See when and where...
Why
In mid May 2014, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia were hit by the heaviest rain in 120 years of records, which caused floods and landslides, killing at least 80 people and forcing hundreds of thousands to leave their homes. After a week of flooding, official counts indicate that over 1.6 million people were affected in Bosnia and Serbia.
As well as many other areas, most of northern Bosnia was flooded, and a state of emergency was declared across the nation.
Branka's barefoot walk aims to raise funds in aid of the flood victims in the area and also to raise awareness of this massive catastrophe in her home country.
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic criticised major news sources such as CNN and the BBC of virtually ignoring what he described as "a total catastrophe of biblical proportions". Djokovic donated the whole of the $500,000 prize money he won at the Rome Masters championship to flood victims in his home country.
Source: Balkan floods May 2014 by ArnoldPlaton - Own work, based on European Comission press releases for 16 May and 20 May, ECHO/AFP map, The Guardian map and Al-Jazeera Balkans interactive map. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
When
The walk took place on Friday 20th June 2014, starting at 3.00 p.m.
Where
Branka walked from Pembroke School to Holyland Wood, Pembroke.
The map below shows the route she took.
Who
Branka Drinić Williams was born in Gradiška, in the Serbian part of Bosnia & Herzegovina, on the border with Croatia. She moved to Pembrokeshire ten years ago and now works as a member of the EAL (English as an Additional Language) support team based in Pembroke School.
You can contact Branka via email.
How to Sponsor Branka
You can sponsor Branka in one of the following ways:
- Pledge your support retrospectively in person by speaking to Branka
- Drop off your donation at the reception at Pembroke School
- Donate directly online at floodrelief.vladars.net
- Donate to other organisations in the area responsible for the flood relief effort
However you choose to donate, please make sure that you tell Branka about your donation!