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Phil contacted us last year and this demonstrates his meticulous planning.
Hospice Nurse to Tackle John O'Groats to Land's End Walk
Yeovil, Somerset, 2nd June, 2009
Lead nurse at St Margaret's Somerset Hospice, Phil Edwards, is to walk from John O'Groats to Land's End to raise money for the hospice. The 1280-mile journey, starting on May 13th, 2010, will take eight weeks, and Phil is inviting other supporters of St Margaret's to walk sections with him.
Phil had dreamed of doing this walk for some time, but was spurred into action by seeing the effects of the economic recession on other hospices in the UK. He says, "Across the country, hospice jobs are being cut, and services squeezed, because of the recession. Only last week, a hospice in the east of the country was forced to close a third of its beds.
"As a nurse at St Margaret's in Yeovil, I see, every day, how vital our work is for people with life-limiting illnesses. It would be tragic if we could not continue to provide the same level of high-quality hospice care for local people. About 80% of our funding comes from voluntary donations, and even a small drop in giving can have profound effects on the work that my colleagues and I are able to do."
The walk that Phil has devised is almost entirely off-road, and will follow bridleways and footpaths most of the time. It will go through some of the most beautiful parts of Scotland and England, including the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District, the Yorkshire dales, and the Cotswolds.
Accommodation will be in youth hostels, B&Bs, and country inns. Says Phil, "We want this to be a unique experience, and at different times we will be staying in a Scottish castle, a converted railway station, a gothic mansion, an ex-coastguard station, and an 18th century millworker's cottage."
Walking 15 to 30 miles a day, completing the whole walk will be a feat of endurance. However, Phil believes that most reasonably active people would be capable of joining the Challenge for a few days, "The pace will be steady, and while a few days cover 30 miles or more, most of the time we will be walking between 20 and 25 miles a day." Phil will also be leading a number of training walks over the next twelve months for those who would like to take part but need to get fit.
The Challenge has already excited the imagination of his colleagues. Several employees of St Margaret's Hospice have signed up to walk sections of the route. Others have offered to drive the support vehicle or help with fundraising. It has been suggested that this could become one of the biggest fundraising events St Margaret's has ever staged.
Details of the Challenge can be found on its website - http://www.walktheextramile.com- which outlines the route and how to get involved. As well as walkers, Phil and his colleagues also need volunteers to drive the support vehicle and help with publicity. If you wish to sponsor this event, donations can be made on http://www.justgiving.com/walktheextramile . For details of other ways to support the work of St Margaret's Hospice, please visit http://www.somerset-hospice.org.uk
You can follow Phil, as he prepares for this epic challenge, on his blog, http://walktheextramile.blogspot.com
Phil EdwardsLead nurse
St Margarets Somerset Hospice
Tel: 01935 709480
Miles Millen has planned a motorcycle trip for August.
www.MILES4MILO.co.uk
I'm taking part in a motorcycle ride from john o'groats to land's end along with some of my close friends, 3 bikes 1 van with 2 drivers, it will be during the first 10 days of august. Our aim is to raise money for Scottish Cot Death Trust and I'd really appreciate your support.
It's easy to donate online with a credit or debit card - just go to my JustGiving page:
http://www.justgiving.com/MILES4MILO
www.justgiving.com/MILES4MILO
JustGiving sends your donation straight to Scottish Cot Death Trust and automatically reclaims Gift Aid if you're a UK taxpayer, so your donation is worth even more. I hope you'll join me in supporting Scottish Cot Death Trust.
Two 17yr old cyclists from Buxton Derbyshire, are travelling from Land's End to John o' Groats, starting on 11th August. Chris writes,
Adam Simpson and Chris Rushworth are undertaking a charity bike ride from "Lands End To John O' Groats" to raise money for a fantastic charity as well as have a great experience. We are planning to set off at the beginning of August 2010 and complete the ride in approximately seventeen days.
Since my Grandad died in June 2009, I've been wanting to do a project to raise money for the East Cheshire Hospice who made him very comfortable and looked after him superbly during his short stay. The East Cheshire Hospice must raise £6000 a day just to keep going, with your help we would like to contribute greatly to this.
We really hope you can donate generously and thank you very much for your kindness and contribution.
www.justgiving.com/lejogbikerbros
or
Contact Chris on 07875 542247
Jack Adams, again!!
Our very own route advisor Jack Adams is off again, travelling with a friend he will drive from John o' groats commencing on 8th May with a 3 balloon release in memory of their late partners, Anne, Barbara and David (Theresa's Husband). They will drive to a stopover in the Lakes and then on to Land's End where they will repeat the balloon release. Following this they will travel home via Weymouth and Blandford Forum where Jack will take a trip in a hot air balloon on the evening of 11th May.
All of this is aimed at raising funds for the Butterwick Hospice who cared for all of their late partners. If you would like to donate you can contact Jack by 'phone or e-mail details on the routes page.
Richard Naylor
Is planning a trip in a classic MGB Sports car, starting on 12th June to raise funds for St Johns School and Bakewell Parish Church near Blackpool, he hopes to make a big dent in the £60000 needed for urgent work, read more about it by clicking this link
http://www.landsend-johnogroats-assoc.com/Rick Naylor info.doc
Or contact him on 01629 812457 or by e-mail mailto:rickkath@waitrose.com
We don't get many runners, but here's one.
Mathew Harrison from Attleborough, Norfolk will be running from John o' Groats to Lands End around 16th August 2010 to raise funds for East Anglian Air Ambulance, Addenbrooke's Critical Care Unit and the Colman Centre for Rehabilitation, Norwich. A very close friend of his had his life saved by these organisations last October when he had a horrific motorcycle accident which left him in a coma for many weeks and now in the rehabilitation centre possibly for the next 5 years. We want to raise awareness and money to support these worthy causes.
Matty will be running with a back up vehicle driven by a friend and hopefully he will be joined along the route by anyone who has time to spare. So, if you can run a mile to two to keep him company and keep his moral up, please contact him at http://mattysbigrun.blogspot.com follow his run and read regular updates. Most of all, if you can help with kit, accommodation or a donation we would love to hear from you.
Thanks
Jackie (Co-ordinator and support driver)
Brothers to Cycle Lands End to John O' Groats for Charity.
Jamie & Matthew Barlow are to cycle from Lands End to John O' Groats for the charity Alzeihmers Society.
We are to do this over a period of 10 days with approximately 90-100 miles a day in the saddle. Starting on the 9th June 2010. We will be part camping and part caravanning and staying with family.
The reason for doing this is unclear, even to us, apart from we think it "should be a laugh" and to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society.
We have chosen this particular charity as our Grandma suffered from Alzheimers for many years before she passed away in October of last year. It was difficult for us, my Grandad, my parents and the whole family, and finding help for her was difficult as there is so little known about the disease.
With your donation we can help fund research and care assistance for many families who have a loved one that is suffering from Alzheimer's.
Jamie & Matt
You can donate money to our charity here http://www.justgiving.com/thebarlowtour
To keep track of us during training and the "Tour" follow us on our blog http://thebarlowtour.blogspot.com/
Also once "The Tour" kicks off you can also follow us on twitter on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour basis at https://twitter.com/BarlowTour
Jamie Barlow
HPConsulting Services Limited
Dunston House
Dunston Road
Chesterfield
S41 9QD
Tel: +44 (0) 1246 453535
Fax: +44 (0) 1246 453760
Mobile: +44 (0) 7736 935415
EMail: jamie.barlow@hpcsl.com
There and back by public transport
Peter Mugridge is planning to go from Land's End to John o' Groats and then back again in June, mainly by rail, and with any luck less than 50 hours which will be an epic trip. We have had people travel from one end or the other by this method but as far as we are aware no one has previously done a return journey so Peter's trip will set a new standard for others to aim at. Read all about his plans here
http://www.justgiving.com/Peter-Mugridge
Cycling Unsupported
Jon Shorter and Jack Brazier will start in early july from Land's End they will be unsupported, camping along the way. They aim to complete the journey in two weeks, all in aid of Prostrate Cancer research. Check out their site at
with links to their facebook page and a handy GPS tracker, well worth a look.