Grandparents are reunited with their granddaughter at Heathrow Airport

The couple’s granddaughter Mabel was diagnosed with cancer when she was just 2 years old, and during this time, the family were supported by Momentum. Mabel completed her cancer treatment at Kingston Hospital last year.

Robert Gomez, who turns 81 this week, and his wife Ana Maria, 77, started their epic 2,500-mile walk from Rome to Gibraltar in March, trekking an average of 17 miles every day for 90 days, across challenging terrain, before returning to the UK on Friday, 12 June.

Schengen visa restrictions meant that they must complete the challenge in two stages, as the rules limit their stay in EU countries to just 90 days every 180 days. There was an emotional reunion at Heathrow Airport as Mabel and her mum, Celine, from Surbiton, London, surprised Robert and Ana Maria by waiting for them at arrivals.

Talking about the challenge, Robert said: “What an experience – there have been so many highlights particularly some of the sights we have seen, including medieval villages, beautiful churches, and stunning scenery. Devil’s Bridge in Céret, France, was magnificent.  Some of the mountain ranges were particularly difficult to trek through, with some very rocky and at times dangerous pathways. We have also had to navigate old crumbling bridges, jump over fences and climb over boulders, something that is difficult to do when you’re 80 years old and are carrying a 25 pounds rucksack!  The challenge has proved harder than we anticipated, especially carrying a knee injury, which has meant I’ve had to wear a leg brace. What has kept us going is that our daughter Celine always says that we need to ‘be more Mabel’ and this has been our mantra every time we felt we struggled.”

Talking about being reunited with their granddaughter, Mabel, Robert and Ana Maria  said: “We didn’t know Mabel was coming to meet us at the airport – it was the best surprise! We plan to see our grandchildren a lot over the next few months – we have really missed them. Birthday celebrations will feel extra special this year. This whole idea was born from wanting to honour Mabel’s resilience and to say thank you to Momentum, the charity that carried our family through the darkest times.”

Looking ahead to the second part of their challenge, Robert said: “We are enjoying some relaxation for now, but we know that we’ve got to keep walking as we have already been experiencing some cramping in our muscles. We need to work out the finer details for the next 90 days of the trek. The weather conditions will be very different, and we anticipate it being much colder and wetter. The planning takes a lot of time as we have to factor in where accommodation is available on route, as well as places to stop for food supplies and other refreshments. We hope to finish in Gibraltar in early December and be back home well in time for Christmas.”  

Momentum Children’s Charity supports families across London, Surrey and Sussex whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition. The charity partners with local hospitals to offer personally tailored support to the entire family through their family support workers, both in hospital and at home.

Robert and Ana Maria have raised more than £5,000 for Momentum. Help them increase this total by sponsoring them here: Robert Gomez is fundraising for Momentum Children’s Charity

To find out more about the work of Momentum Children’s Charity’s social work service, please visit www.momentumcharity.org

Notes to Editors:

Momentum Children’s Charity supports families across London, Surrey and Sussex whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition. We partner with local hospitals to offer personally tailored support to the entire family through our family support workers, both in hospital and at home. Our services include counselling, creative therapies, special experiences, and respite breaks. If the unthinkable happens, and a child dies, we offer specialist bereavement support. The charity receives no government funding and is reliant entirely on voluntary support. 

Founded in 2004, Momentum Children’s Charity was started when Bianca Effemey OBE was working as a receptionist on the Paediatrics Ward at Kingston Hospital. Side effects of chemotherapy treatment can be very painful, and she became aware of the impact they were having on young cancer patients. It became her mission to get white goods donated to the hospital which could be kept full of refreshments, providing some relief to children suffering with mouth ulcers caused by chemotherapy. Momentum has grown from a very small charity to now supporting over 2,500 individuals across 688 families in 2024/25. This includes 502 families with children in active treatment and 186 bereaved families.

If you are interested in learning more about the work Momentum does, seeing the roles they are currently recruiting for or would like to get involved by attending an event, volunteering or making a donation please visit www.momentumcharity.org

www.momentumcharity.org Registered charity number: 1195373

For more information about Momentum and future press opportunities, please contact:  Claire Smith, PR and Communications Officer: clairesmith@momentumcharity.org  /  0208 974 5931