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We did it! We completed our 40,000 steps to Dunkerque. Well, actually 40488 steps according to our pedometer. which equates to 30.7 kilometers or around 19 miles. Thanks to everyone who has made a donation to our chosen charity "Help for Heroes" but don't worry if you haven't yet made a donation, you still can as we are keeping the website open for a little while yet.
On 28th May 2010 Andy Frizzell and Matt Charnick re-traced the footsteps of many thousands of British soldiers who escaped to safety from Dunkerque in May 1940.
300,000 + returned home including Territorial Army Private T/A 83844 John George Frizzell, my father and Matt's Grandfather. Many stayed to fight, many didn't make it home. This sponsored walk in aid of Help for Heroes is our way of commemorating the 70th Anniversary of "Operation Dynamo" the Dunkerque evacuation.
40.000 steps is a rough approximation of how many paces we will cover in our 30Km walk. Why 30Km? We estimate from records that this was roughly the distance walked by my father after he and his collegues had to abandon their transport and march to Bray Dunes and Dunkerque Eastern harbour 'Mole' where he eventually boarded a ship (HMS Winchlesea) which made the perilous dash across the Channel to Dover and Safety.
Our 40,000 steps will commence on the morning of 28th May 2010 from Oost Capell in Northern France, continue to Hondschoote where thousand crossed the Colme canal by rope bridge as the road bridge had been bombed. We will then head for Bray Dunes which was the muster point for the retreating forces then on along the beach to Dunkerque.
Thanks in anticipation of your donation towards our modest target of £1000. We hope to bust this wide apart though (£1 per step anyone? or maybe a more realistic .1p per step) Find out more at:-
http://www.frizzell.biz
Footnote:
I write this note with less than two weeks to go till the walk.
I am amazed that so many people have made donations to our version of Help for Heroes, many of you I know as friends and collegues but to receive donations from people who I have no idea as to who they are is staggering.
Help for Heroes is very much uppermost in our minds and we probably all know someone who has been to Afghanistan or Iraq in the last few years and but for the grace of God could well be one of the servicemen and women being helped by Help for Heroes.
Thanks to all of you for your help no matter how big or small and thanks in anticipation to those of you reading this who are considering making a donation. We currently have 70% of our target figure of £1000 please help us to help those who are fighting the biggest fight of their lives. If you have been touched by our quest, moved by my fathers story (go to www.frizzell.biz and click the "A few days at the seaside" tab to read it) or just want to help our injured troops then please dig as deep into your recession hit pockets as possible and make a donation. Thank You.
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