In 1838, Charles Dickens wrote 'The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby - his third novel. Chapter 22 relates that Nicholas and Smike escaped from London and walked the 75 miles to Portsmouth.

Now, 164 years after readers first enjoyed the adventure - and in the bicentenary year of the authors birth - great great grandsons Ian and Gerald Dickens are embarking on the same journey on a 75 mile charity fund raising walk.

Two charities will benefit from our efforts - the National Literacy Trust and The Charles Dickens Statue Fund (amazingly, there is no statue to Dickens anywhere in the UK). We'd encourage contributors to divide their support equally between the two charities.

Go to the walk blog http://dickenswalking.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/this-idea-has-legs.html and click on the PayPal link to contribute to the statue fund. To make a donation to the NLT, follow the instructions on this Just Giving site.

Thank you.

Ian & Gerry