Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

A big thank you to all who have given, on or off line, to help reach the target. Please don't stop, more will be gratefully received and adds more incentive to reach the top of the big hills over the next two weeks! I hope to update on progress as we go but will depend on time and access to the net.

CMS has always been part of my life. My Godfather was Dr. Fred Crabb, who with his family were Mission Partners in Southern Sudan in the late 1940's. I can still remember evenings in the School room enthralled by Lantern Slide pictures of places like Yei, Yambio, Maridi, Loka etc.

In January 1974 Rosemary and I (with 2yr old Peter) moved to Crowther Hall, at that time part of the Selly Oak Colleges campus, for mission training. In January 1975 we moved to Nairobi for 3 months Language school, then to Maasai Rural Training Centre at Olkiramatian about 80 miles SW of Nairobi. A 2000 acre ranch supported 200 goats and a small herd of beef cattle. There was a 50 acre extension site under the Nguruman escarpment where we introduced some crossbred goats and grew food and cash crops.

After home leave late in 1977, we returned to a new post at Khasoko in Western Kenya. This area is fertile and has more regular rainfall and consequently is very densely populated. Our work centred on new crops and the use of oxen for crop cultivations to reduce manual labour. We also had a close relationship with the local Village Polytecknic where practical skills like building in stone were taught. After a building with dormitory and classroom was completed we started courses for Evangelists and Church Leaders in Animal and Crop Husbandry as well as Bible Study sessions in the evenings.

A bike was almost a neccessity if a teenager wanted to get around a rural Devon village in the 1950's. A round trip of almost 5 miles from farm to village twice or three times a week kept me fit; Luppitt is far from flat! University saw me clocking up 100 miles a week for most of the first year when in digs at Woodley near Reading. Later the car and a busy working life relegated the bike to emergencies until I took on a part time Postman's job from the Taunton Delivery Office (whose bright idea was it to use cobble stones for the Market House roundabout? They should have been made to go round and round with a full mail pouch (16Kgs on the front wheel in my day), on a wet day before dawn until they fell off). 

Early in 2005 when paid employment ceased and voluntary work eased I joined a bellringing friend in an End to End (with a difference). In 18 days Tim notched up 1016 miles, Lizard, Lands End, Dunnet Head, John o'Groats, & Duncansby Head; Rang 14 peals lasting 2hrs 30mins to 3hrs 30mins on bells from 1cwt to 24cwt; and at Sebergham tried to make the bike fly at 40mph, result bent wheel and broken wrist. Due to family commitments and no training I managed 450 miles, 5 peals, and caught the cycling bug!

Serious training began in May 2006 for a sponsored ride for Kidney Research, but lack of support caused a change of plan and we were asked to join the London to Paris in early September. After a few phone calls I discovered another person from Seaton, only 30 miles from me, keen to do the original Tower2Tower and with another school friend agreeing to act as vehicle backup from Blackpool towards London, we tweaked the route and timetable to meet the others in London. The pictures show what happened.

Now I'm ready to go again in ..... Final update Friday 11pm; off at 6am tomorrow!

Others gave generously in the past so that CMS could support me and my family through training and work in Kenya. This is one way for me to help support others now and in the future. There is still much work to be done among the poorer nations of this planet.

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