A Glasgow woman met the Pope after walking to Rome from Balornock.
Geraldine McFaul was in tears as she had the “surreal experience” with His Holines after travelling thousands of miles on foot.
The 52-year-old departed her home at the start of May and arrived at her bucket list destination on Saturday, November 4 having travelled through Scotland, England, France and Italy.
She is fundraising for Mary’s Meals and Dementia UK to help provide millions of meals to school children and support the nursing charity.
Alongside her 94-year-old Godfather, Desmond McGowan, and friend, Geraldine attended a general audience at The Vatican, before they were invited to meet the Pope Francis.
The meeting came as a surprise to Geraldine, who only found out the day before.
She says: “Tears flowed when I found out that I would be meeting Pope Francis. It was such a lovely and surreal experience to be so close to the Pope. Desmond was there representing my late parents, Pat and Agnes, and said ‘what would they be saying now?’
“The Pope was brought to us on his wheelchair and I shook his hand and gifted him a copy of the book The Shed that Fed 2 Million Children, the Mary’s Meals story. He smiled and nodded, a fleeting moment but one I will never forget.”
On arriving in Rome, Geraldine says: “It was such an emotional moment for me when I walked with my trailer into St Peter’s Square.
“The tears flowed then too, and continued as one by one I saw and hugged my friends who were waiting for me!
"Three of them walked with me the last few miles too, which was lovely to have their company as I reached the finish line.”
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, Founder of Mary’s Meals says: “I am in awe of Geraldine, and those who have supported her, for their incredible kindness to the children we serve.
"At Mary’s Meals, we often talk about little acts of love, but this is a huge act! Walking from Glasgow to Rome is an unbelievable achievement and I am so delighted for her, not only to complete her challenge, but to share a moment with Pope Francis.
“I hope that Geraldine’s challenge will inspire others to take on their own fundraisers for Mary’s Meals to help us reach the next hungry child.
"There are 67 million children who are missing out on their education because of poverty, but when we come together in kindness, as Geraldine has done, we can start to solve even the greatest of problems.”
Dr Hilda Hayo, Chief Admiral Nurse and CEO at Dementia UK, says: “Everyone at Dementia UK has been blown away by Geraldine’s fundraising efforts, and the whole charity sends our heartfelt thanks and congratulations as she crosses the finish line in Rome.
“In taking on this mammoth challenge, Geraldine has raised vital funds which will help families and individuals affected by dementia access the life-changing support offered by our dementia specialist Admiral Nurses and national Helpline. “One in two of us will be affected by dementia in our lifetime, and the support of extraordinary fundraisers like Geraldine ensures we can continue to offer support and advice to as many people as possible.”
To donate to Geraldine’s fundraisers, visit here for Mary’s Meals and here for Dementia UK.
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