Fifty Miles with my Dad: A journey on the Suffolk coast

‘Fifty Miles with my Dad’ gives a moving account of a trek that is prompted by bereavement, and poignant but also light-hearted, as clashes between the different attitudes and interests of father and daughter give their dialogue a playful vein. Then, as the miles go by, often with no other person in sight, they find new depths of conversation. Relics of war prompt her to ask of past generations, whose legacies he tries to convey; and as she reconnects him with childhood, its innocence and imagination, both see their worlds from new perspectives. Warmly received as an inspirational celebration of quality time, May’s story relates how their venture makes front-page news and bears lasting fruit: the fund she raises is enough to provide grants from its income, and she plays a part in selecting grassroots charities to whom these are made. When she sees their work at first hand her path of philanthropy unfolds. As a budding musician she gains insight into the therapy that music can bring, and while still at school she becomes a recorded composer. Meanwhile, as she comes into contact with different forms of disability and treatment, she discovers what fulfilment can be gained from making a difference to others in need.