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Paul Cosgrove, finance director for British Isles and Ireland at TMF Group, tells Emily Moore why the firm is so pleased to sponsor the Island Walk and the steps it has taken to make the event accessible to more Islanders
DO you have any plans for Saturday 21 June? If not, you might want to consider tucking into a big bowl of pasta the previous Friday evening and getting an early night, ready to join the hundreds of Islanders “making unforgettable memories” as they take on one of the greatest charity challenges of the year.
While those undertaking the full Island Walk, sponsored by TMF Group, will require a certain level of fitness to tackle the 48.1 miles of cliff path, beach and road which make up the route, there are other options which have been designed to make the event accessible to as many people as possible.
Indeed, that focus on inclusion has, as Paul Cosgrove, finance director for British Isles and Ireland at TMF Group, explains, seen the event evolve since the firm’s sponsorship began when the company acquired previous sponsors State Street in 2019.
“One of the golden nuggets from that acquisition was the sponsorship of the Island Walk, this amazing blue-chip event for Jersey,” he explained. “But while we recognised the brilliance of the event, and the fantastic contribution it makes to Island charities, we also realised that the distances involved prevented certain people from taking part.”
Keen to “evolve” the event, both to ensure its long-term sustainability and to share that “brilliance” with as many people as possible, the TMF Jersey team and the Island Walk trustees began analysing the response to, and participation in, the annual fundraiser.
“Perhaps unsurprisingly, we quickly realised that the majority of walkers were in their late-20s, 30s and 40s,” said Paul. “At TMF Group, diversity and inclusion is a key goal, and we recognised that there was an opportunity to work with the trustees to broaden the event’s appeal.”
While there was already a relay option and the Lieutenant Governor’s challenge, both of which see entrants complete one stage of the walk, the team acknowledged that even those reduced distances were beyond some people.
“Each stage is between 11 and 13 miles, which isn’t accessible to many families, young children or those with mobility difficulties,” Paul elaborated. “Therefore, in 2023, we launched the One TMF Challenge, which runs from Bel Royal to the official finish line at Marina Gardens at The Waterfront.
“We fully appreciate that the full Island Walk is a tough physical and mental challenge to take on, so the One TMF Challenge opens the event up to a brand-new demographic, giving as many Islanders and visitors as possible the chance to enjoy being involved and being able to raise money for charity, while getting the sense of achievement that comes from taking on a challenge, completing it and receiving a medal at the end.”
And these innovations to the event have, Paul adds, paid dividends, with last year’s walk attracting more participants and raising more money for charity than ever before.
“The numbers of walkers entering the event had remained fairly consistent for a number of years, so we were delighted when last year attracted more than 1,700 participants, whose combined efforts raised a record-breaking £139,444,” he said.
Those figures took the total amount raised for local charities across the walk’s 33 iterations to just over £2.9m and Paul, the trustees and the whole TMF team are hoping that the 2025 event will break even more records, with funds raised this year going to ArtHouse Jersey, Air Training Corps, Autism Jersey, Caring Cooks, Family First, JEDS, Les Amis, The Salvation Army, St Andrew’s and Tiny Seeds.
Donations of £1,000 will also be made to Girlguiding Jersey, the States of Jersey Ambulance Service and The 10th Jersey (St Brelade) Scout Group in recognition of the organisations’ operational support of the event.
We fully appreciate that the full Island Walk is a tough physical and mental challenge to take on, so the One TMF Challenge opens the event up to a brand new demographic, giving as many people as possible the chance to enjoy being involved and being able to raise money for charity, while getting the sense of achievement that comes from completing a challenge
“The amount of work that goes into staging this event each year cannot be underestimated,” said Paul. “The trustees, support organisations and TMF Jersey staff work tirelessly to bring it to life, with our team working on the event from the launch in January through to the presentation evening in September.”
This work, he adds, includes an extensive marketing campaign, fundraising and awareness initiatives – one of which sees members of the TMF Jersey team taking to treadmills in town in the build-up to the event – as well as sourcing the ever-popular t-shirts and goody bags, and manning refreshment stations and marquees on the day itself.
“The workload is immense but the team love being involved with such a prestigious event, which makes such a difference to so many charities,” he said. “We also organise training walks and spread the word with our colleagues in other jurisdictions, some of whom have travelled to the Island specifically to join the walk.
“By publicising the event across the globe, we are also putting Jersey on the map and introducing the Island to people who have never been here before. When our colleagues then share their videos and pictures from the walk, more and more people see the best of the Island’s scenery.”
Indeed, as Paul – who has completed the full route a number of times – says, taking part in the walk “unlocks pieces of the Island that many people have never seen before”.
“There are some real treasure troves along the route” he said. “The views from some of the areas you pass are amazing. And that’s just one of the bonuses you gain from taking part.
The camaraderie among walkers and supporters is tremendous and the sense of achievement you get at the end is something you just can’t bottle. It is amazing.”
Also helping to spread the word of the event, he adds, was the decision to involve RaceNation.
“This has opened up the Island Walk to wider audiences and attracted an influx of people from outside Jersey,” Paul said, adding that the trustees and TMF Group were constantly looking at “new ideas” to continue evolving the walk and raising its profile.
One way in which its profile has been raised on walk day itself, he says, is through the walkers’ apparel.
“Every year, participants receive the official walk t-shirt,” he smiled. “The colour of the t-shirt is different every year but it is always bright, and to see a row of those brightly coloured garments, as people make their way between the trees and along the cliff paths, is amazing. While we haven’t yet announced the colour for this year’s shirt, curiosity is already building, so we are looking forward to the big reveal just before the walk.”
The other thing which Paul and all walkers will be eagerly waiting to find out in the days leading up to 21 June is the weather forecast.
“We really just want a pleasant day,” he said. “You don’t want it to too hot but you don’t want rain or strong winds either.”
But whatever the weather, there is one thing that Paul says will not change, and that is the atmosphere enjoyed by all who take part.
“Until you have been a part of it, you cannot truly appreciate just how special an event this is,” he said. “That’s why we want to get as many people involved as we can, so that they can experience how fantastic it is.”
- For more information or to sign up for one of this year’s events, visit
islandwalk.je - TMF Group (Jersey) Limited and entities within the affiliation are regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission and are part of the TMF Group.
