My story

About my walk...

This walk is in aid of the UK Scouts’ “Hardship” fund, which is used to help support a UK Scout or Guide in hardship to go to the World Scout Jamboree in Japan in 2015.   You can find more details, or sponsor me, by scrolling down the page.

I’m doing this because both of our sons have been lucky enough to go to Jamborees (Essex and Sweden) and I would like to give something back to the Scouting Association which has had such a major and positive impact on our boys’ childhood and young adulthood.

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“World Scout Jamborees” are held every four years and are open to Scouts and Guides from all countries around the world.   There are typically around 3,500 participants, from 150 different countries.   The UK will be sending a contingent of selected Scouts and Guides to the next Jamboree, which is being held in 2015 in Japan.   Jamborees are a brilliant way for young people to experience different cultures and meet people from a diverse range of backgrounds.   It is a great start to their lives.

It is highly competitive to be selected to attend a Jamboree and it’s a real privilege to be chosen to go.  Scouts and Guides who are chosen to attend have to raise the money themselves to cover the cost, which can be over £3,000.   But it’s always a great shame if a Scout or Guide is selected to attend but can’t raise the necessary funds, because of difficult personal circumstances.

The money you donate will be put towards a special Hardship Fund, which has been set up by the UK Scouting Association, and is used to provide modest bursaries to Scouts and Guides who would like to attend the Jamboree, but because of difficult personal circumstances, are unable to afford it.   And because the Jamboree is in Japan in 2015, this trip is particularly expensive.   The bursaries have to be at least matched by the Scout or Guide’s own fundraising efforts.   Depending on how much money I am able to raise, I hope to be able to provide slightly larger bursaries, and to several worthy applicants.   The Scouting Association have agreed to let me know of any applicants who they think would be particularly deserving of extra support.

This trip starts around the end of March 2014, and finishes in mid July.  I estimate that the walk will be approximately 1450 miles, and will take me about 16 weeks.   I will be camping as much as possible along the way, mostly in public campsites though with some wild camping in the remoter parts of Scotland.

I’ve held the ambition to walk the length of the country ever since I completed a sponsored bike ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats in 2005.   Now, after a long wait, the circumstances are right to give me the opportunity to complete the “long walk”.

You can read about my 2005 ride by clicking the link below:

Click here to read about my 2005 cycle ride

(Click photo below to link to Wikipedia “LE2JOG” page)

Photo at John O'Groats

At John O’Groats at end of 2005 bike ride

I am starting the walk at the Lizard Peninsula in the South, and finishing at Dunnet Head in the North, taking in Land’s End, John O’Groats, Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis on the way. So I will have walked the length of the country from South to North, and climbed the highest peaks in Wales, England and Scotland on the way.

I’ve arranged a sabbatical with my employer for the period of the walk.


 

Sponsor me now and get access to live tracking via “ViewRanger”!

You can sponsor me via my JustGiving page.

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After sponsoring me you will receive an email confirming the UserName and PIN to track my live progress on the walk.
More importantly, you will be helping a young person from the UK, facing personal hardship, to go the World Scout Jamboree in 2015.

To track my progress..
With the UserName and PIN that you will be emailed if you sponsor me, you will be able to track my progress by clicking the “Buddy Beacon” icon below.

Press “add Buddy Beacon” at the top right of the screen that will appear and enter the UserID/PIN details. You can set the screen to auto-refresh every minute or two by pressing the small clock-like icon at the bottom left of the tracking screen.buddybeaconlogo

 

From here you can…

Sponsor me
 Sponsor short button
To help send a UK Scout or Guide from a less-privileged background to the World Scout Jamboree in 2015. Press arrow to straight to JustGiving site or click “Sponsorship” in menu bar above for more info
Read daily update
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Updated every day after my walk – network availability permitting!
Get maps and details
 Map short button
Find out where I will be, when, and access detailed downloadable maps
Message me!
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Join in the public discussion by posting on my message board!
Track me – live!
 Track short button
Follow me in real-time as I walk Press arrow (then at the screen that appears press “add BuddyBeacon” then enter the username and PIN you were emailed when you sponsored me) or click “Track me” in menu bar above for more details
Contact me
 Email short button
Send me words of encouragement, or if you’d like to join me for a part of the walk! Click to send a email or press “Contact” in menu bar above for more contact options

 

There’s a summary of my latest blog below.

To read the whole thing, press here!

 

Thank you for visiting this website. I hope you will be able to sponsor me.

Please feel free to forward a link to this website, or my JustGiving site, to friends or colleagues who you think might be interested in supporting this worthy cause.