A social worker with a love for nature and photography has combined his passions to raise funds for charity on his 45th birthday.
Together with his partner, Eman Azzopardi walked 45 kilometres ‒ one kilometre for every year of his life ‒ from Żebbuġ towards the scenic northwest coast and on to the Hospice Malta premises in Balzan. Along the way, he kept his social media followers updated on the walk’s progress, while urging them to donate money to the NGO.
Anyone who knows Azzopardi or has come across his Facebook or Instagram accounts would know he loves trekking as he posts photos of whatever catches his eye along his path almost every day. The idea for this charitable feat was indeed inspired by an encounter during one of his early morning treks.
“Some months ago, I was walking through one of the valleys surrounding Żebbuġ and saw these two guys jogging. I knew one of them and he told me that the other person was celebrating his birthday and was running a number of kilometres to match his age,” Azzopardi recounts.
“I thought straightaway of doing something of the sort but walking as, when I walk, I appreciate nature more and can stop and shoot photos without losing the momentum. I also thought of using the walk to help others and, when collecting funds, Hospice is my first choice.”
Azzopardi has been working at St Patrick’s in Sliema for the past 21 years but his first university course placement was at Hospice Malta.
Azzopardi with his partner, Marija Bonello, before they started the trek.“I guess it was love at first sight,” he says.
Over the years, he has collected funds for the NGO, most notably during three recent group trips he organised to Italy to walk the Via Francigena. The ancient road and pilgrim route runs from France to Rome and Apulia, where there were the ports of embarkation for the Holy Land.
Azzopardi has been trekking with groups and on his own for over a decade.
“In nature I find myself,” he admits.
Tuesday’s walk was his longest in Malta but he has covered many more kilometres abroad. He walked the Camino Francés (or French Way, one of the nine major Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes) in parts from 2011 to 2013 and then walked the Camino Portugues (the Camino de Santiago route starting in Portugal) in 2015, walking 650 kilometres in 22 days. The longest leg of the latter trail was 47.34 kilometres − from Lisbon to Vila Franca de Xira.
Training for this week’s trek started a few months ago.
“At the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, when I wasn’t trekking with my usual group due to COVID-19, I started going for long walks every Saturday morning, apart from the usual morning walks. Every week, I used to add two kilometres until I reached about 30 kilometres. Then, I kept a very active timetable, walking for at least five kilometres every day. I guess that, once you get very fit and into walking, no amount of kilometres can scare you away,” Azzopardi notes.
Dawn as seen from near the Laferla Cross (Salib ta’ l-Għolja) in Siġġiewi.He planned the route well beforehand, although had he followed that route step by step, he and his partner, Marija Bonello, would have walked about 50 kilometres. The weather wasn’t too kind but the two soldiered on.
“We had all kinds of weather: sun, rain, wind. Yet, I am the type to enjoy walking in the rain and that would definitely not slow me down as long as I’m wearing the right clothing,” he says.
The couple took off from Żebbuġ at around 6.50am and proceeded towards Girgenti and Laferla Cross (Salib ta’ l-Għolja) in Siġġiewi, Dingli, Imtaħleb, Baħrija, Kunċizzjoni, Fomm ir-Riħ, Torri tal-Lippija (overlooking Ġnejna Bay), Mġarr, Binġemma, Chadwick Lakes, Mosta, Ta’ Qali and Attard. They reached Hospice Malta in Balzan at 3.08pm.
“We didn’t take many breaks, only one actually when it was raining heavily near Binġemma. My partner had prepared a small cake and we cut it there in a bus shelter.”
Azzopardi has always enjoyed helping others but this was the first time he did such a feat for charity on his own.
Chadwick Lakes“If yesterday’s walk is to be considered a personal feat, this was my first. I always helped others together with a group. My plan is to keep on doing this every year on my birthday… as long as I am able to.”
In the meantime, he plans to continue working on another little project of his to help safeguard the environment.
“It all started in July 2020. I was fed up of seeing so much litter in the valleys where I go walking or jogging every morning. Thus, one day, I decided to take two garbage bags and clean as much as possible. Two friends of mine have since joined me and we do it every Friday morning. We call it ‘Giving Back Fridays’ as we believe this is our good deed towards our locality we love so much,” he explains.
“In a way, it could be a lost battle as the amount of thrash we collect every week is huge. Yet, we try to deliver a message for others to follow suit and for the residents to keep our village clean.”
Azzopardi also encourages people to help Hospice and shares an anecdote:
“I was trekking with my friends last Saturday and one of them, with whom I trekked part of the Via Francigena in 2018, told me at one point he was fed up walking as his foot hurt. A doctor, also part of the group, told him: ‘It was your choice to come and do this trail and you are complaining of the pain but Hospice patients dying of cancer had no choice in that decision. We are doing this to help others. The Hospice patients know the real meaning of suffering’.”
One can help Azzopardi’s cause by donating money to Hospice Malta via Revolut on +356 7973 4476 until this evening. Donations, however, can be made through several other ways all year round. For more details, visit https://hospicemalta.org/supporting-hospice/donations/.