The longest walk Home

A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 

A Priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 

So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 

But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 

St Luke’s Gospel Chapter 10

Jerusalem to Jericho is 25 kilometres /16 miles, about the length of a pretty decent Miles in the Legs training walk and about a mile less than an average day out on the Camino.

I’m expecting I may well need some help along The Way.

And I hope to be able to help others too.

Just to remind you of the Big Facts of the Camino 2017:

•  I set off from St Jean Pied de Port in the foothills of the French Pyrenees on Tuesday 19 September
• It is an average of 25 kilometres / 16 miles a day, walking 6 days a week
• A total of about 860 kilometres / 530 miles
• And – if I am able to stick to the Plan – 34 walking days later … on the late afternoon of Friday 26 October I will reach the Atlantic Coast at Finisterre, which the Romans believed to be the end of the known world.

Will you be in Finisterre on that Friday afternoon?

   #JustHopeSo !!

In previous Blogs I wrote about the first two of my Objectives for the walk:

·            Friends’ Involvement; and

·            Personal Challenge.

Today it is time to tell you about my final Objective:

·         Raising money for 4 great Charities

Let me introduce you to each of them …

What’s the point of Life if you don’t Give It A Go?

Mum & Dad

First up is the Duke of Edinbugh’s Award. 

This is the story of a Prince who was born into privilege and had married into even more and, wanting to give others less fortunate than himself the opportunities he had had,  in 1956 started an Award which helps young people – irrespective of demographic - “set and achieve a series of personal challenges to gain confidence, demonstrate commitment, team working and leadership, and learn intangible skills such as resilience and drive that are vital for both work and life”. 

Beginning in the UK, it has expanded into over 140 other countries. 
From 1,000 participants in the first year, over 130,000 young people got Awards in 2016.

The ambition is to give another million young people in the UK the opportunity to take part by 2021.

Both the Girls achieved their Bronze Award.

Each time Dianne & I pass the Rose & Crown at Green Street Green we always remember Laura setting off on her Expedition – her rucksack as big as her – going the wrong way out of the pub car park.

Laura & her chums re-appeared 10 minutes later. 
Eventually we all have to face up to accepting we just can’t get the OS Map and what we are seeing to fit!!

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When a person is down in the world, an ounce of help is better than a pound of preaching.
Edward G. Bulwer

The second charity is The House of St Barnabas. 

St Barnabas, who was a Levite (though not the one in St Luke's Gospel !), is first mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as a member of the early Christian community in Jerusalem. 

 In Acts Chapter 4 v 36 it is told that St Barnabas sold some land that he owned and gave the proceeds to the community . 

The House of St Barnabas passionately believes that “gaining and maintaining paid work is instrumental to independence and security”.

Its approach is driven by a social purpose to create a future where lasting employment is a reality for those affected by homelessness. 
It offers 360° support, providing accredited qualifications from City & Guilds, work experience in a vibrant business, real job opportunities and mentoring.

St Barnabas currently supports 60 people on their journey back to independence and its vision is to support at least 100 people every year.

Some years ago I had a spell of unemployment. 
So many people were Good Samaritans to me, giving me confidence & helping me get back into the World of Work.

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To lose confidence in one’s body is to lose confidence in oneself.
Simone de Beavoir

The third charity is Beat – Beating eating disorders. 

Beat is the UK’s eating disorder charity. Its vision is an end to the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders. It is a champion, guide and friend to anyone affected by these serious mental illnesses giving sufferers and their loved ones a place where they feel listened to, supported and empowered.

Laura will be smiling that ASOS, her favourite online fashion retailer, is in partnership with Beat to provide online support services and a 24 hour Helpline, for men and women of all ages and their carers, families and friends affected by these truly awful mental illnesses.

In the last year, 7,000 people accessed the online support which aims to reduce isolation from these incredibly lonely illnesses, encourage individuals to seek help and empower them on their way to recovery.

There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. 
There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore.
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 

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And so we reach the fourth and final charity Rainbow Trust. 

The longest walk Home that any parent will take is the one after their child has "run" ahead of them.

It must be 20 years since one Friday morning Christa, my PA, asked if I could see Chris Dacey, who ran the Atkins Sports & Social Club.

Then a small charity based down the road from Epsom in Leatherhead, the Trust had contacted Chris to ask if they could borrow the gardens at Woodcote Grove – Atkins HQ – for a fundraising event.

Of course, they could !

Rainbow Trust supports families who have a child aged 0 -18 years with a life threatening or terminal illness and need bespoke support.

There are 49,000 children and young people in the UK living with a life limiting or life threatening condition who may require palliative care

The Trust has 9 teams of Family Support Workers around the country from Southampton to County Durham supporting the whole family. More than 2,000 families are helped every year.

Over the years there have been several opportunities for me to help the Trust in some small way.

Many of you may remember Riding with Ric, a bike ride from Hastings to Rye & on to Tunbridge Wells to celebrate my 60^th birthday back in 2012.

That morning long ago Chris left behind the Annual Report so that I could read a bit more about Rainbow Trust.

Inside the front cover the Patron, one Georgios Panayiotou, wrote:

I can only imagine the immense loss of a child.

The value of an organisation which can help those left behind to come to terms with their loss cannot be measured.

On Christmas Day 2016 the BBC, ITN and Sky News all led on the unexpected death of Mr. Panayiotou. He was just 53.

Like me when I read his Patron’s Statement, you probably haven’t heard of Georgios Panayiotou.

But you’ll know exactly who he was when I tell that his stage name was: George Michael.

George was not a man to pass by on the other side.

In the days that followed his death there were so many reports of George’s generosity: from a special free concert in North London for NHS nurses as a thank you for the care they gave to his mother to £50,000 to Children in Need for David Walliams’ swim across the Channel to leaving a woman in a café £25,000 after overhearing her crying about debt.

Rainbow Trust told that they had benefitted from the royalties of George’s 1991 duet with Elton John Don’t let the sun go down on me.

Whom the gods love dies young.

The Double Deceiver by Menander the Athenian

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So, I hope you agree, 4 great Charities:

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award - House of St Barnabas – Beat - Rainbow Trust

Through Virgin Money Giving, you can sponsor me and all donations ( + Gift Aid) will be 100% passed direct to the 4 charities I am strolling along the Camino to raise money for. 

To sponsor me online, please visit:

http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/RamblingWithRic-Camino2017

I really, really appreciate all your support and thank you so much for any donations.

Hope to see you soon!

Can’t wait for YOU to join me!!

Buen Camino, Ric the Rambler

Follow me on throughout the Camino Walk on Facebook: RamblingWithRic

Camino Thought

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.

Marcus Aurelius