March4Movember had always been William’s thing. A 21-mile hike from Lulworth Cove to Swanage, raising money for men’s mental health and veteran support. It started with a few friends. Over time, it grew.
But in November 2023, everything changed.
William died on 11/11. Two days later, March4Movember was scheduled to go ahead.
No one expected us to go. No one expected us to speak. We barely expected to stand. But we went.
And what we saw took our breath away.
Hundreds of people. All wearing orange hats. A sea of warmth and respect. Over 350 turned up, not just to hike, but to remember. To honour. To show up for a man they loved.
We were in shock. But the atmosphere was something else entirely. People shared stories. Some who had never met William still came, because they felt what he stood for. Others told us things we never knew—how he had helped them quietly, how he had changed their lives without seeking credit.
Curt, our neighbour, told me that William had helped him quit drinking. Then he laughed and said, “I think he was getting everyone off the booze so he could launch Pickles Alcohol-Free Beer.”
I smiled through the pain. Because honestly, it sounded just like him.
Amy, William’s sister, had no intention of doing the full hike. But she did. No prep. No training. She just went.
Driven by love. By grief. By something you can’t name but can feel.
And that’s what this event was. A river of feeling. Of presence. Of connection. For William. For each other.
That walk was when the seed for Pickles Prizes was planted.
Not because we planned it. But because we felt it. The power of community. The desire to give. The need to do something with the pain.
It started with 350 people in orange hats. But it hasn’t stopped there.
And it won’t.
