Julian Greenwood
Hadrian's Hobble
Fundraising for Help for Heroes
Story
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On 31 May 2010 at 1830hrs the last of our "Hobblers" crossed the finish line having walked the 84 miles from Wallsend to Bowness on Solway in 3 days. The pain and soreness will fade over the coming days but the delight at raising the final figure helps enormously. Thank you to everyone who has contributed whether financially or physically. All of us will have the memories of the challenge and friendships for many years to come. We would really like to thank Ann, Eric and Helen at the Vallum Lodge Guest House for their outstanding support throughout our stay and for the cause. The Team at the Twice Brewed Inn also deserve special mention for catering for our needs so late in the evenings when we finished. Thank you!
As some of you may already know, in January 2004 I was on the receiving end of an IED explosion in Basrah, Iraq. Although my landrover was wrecked, my driver and I got out with little more than scratches and bruises. We were exceptionally lucky but many of our soldiers have not been so fortunate. They have lost limbs and some have lost their eyesight. They have great difficulty in doing what we take for granted on a daily basis. They will be in pain and will have to endure many operations to rebuild their shattered bodies and will struggle for months and years to recover. Some will not and need care for the rest of their lives. Help for Heroes is one of the charities leading the way in helping those who have already given so much for the rest of us.
The recent deployment by the 3 Rifles Battlegroup saw over 100 soldiers seriously injured. If you multiply that across the total number of troops deployed in Afghanistan every 6 months it is staggering.
We have not set a target for what we want to raise. We would like to think that we can raise a great deal even in this recession. You can help in a couple of ways, either by sponsoring us on our trek across the country 84 miles along Hadrian's Wall or by joining us 29-31 May 2010 and raise even more for this extremely worthwhile cause.
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
We have been informed by people who have done the walk previously that the middle section is the most arduous and the LDWA ( Long Distance Walking Association) say that even seasoned long distance walkers ( 30 miles per day +) should consider a max of 20 miles over this section.. Realistically that means 35 miles to the foot of the high ground on day 1 and 30 odd on day 3 if you try to do it in only 3 days.
The other comment was that if you get bad weather it will almost certainly be coming in from the West. By going East to West you are potentially walking into the wind/rain all the way. West to East its at your back.
Just some food for thought!
You will see that the merry band is continuing to grow in size. Our recruits include a former Royal Naval Surgeon, a former Royal Air Force Officer, and a number of ex army friends. This means that all three of Her Majesties Services are now represented which is good news indeed. Liz Munro and Donna Dunn have also thrown their caps into the ring and have agreed to join the cohort so well done and many thanks indeed.
With just over 4 months to go to the event we have raised over £5,000 for Help for Heroes but as we know from the news the number of people who need our help continues to grow.
At this stage we would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to all who have donated thus far. Please pass on the details to your friends and colleagues to see if they are as generous. Every penny helps!
Training for the Hobble after the Christmas splurge is always going to be difficult and I suspect the walk and training will form part of our New Year's resolutions! That said, Inky our Black Labrador has started training in earnest with a good hike around the Dorset Coastal Path the other weekend as a warm up. More of the same will feature over the coming months. The pay offs are obvious in that we stand to raise money for this great cause but also we will fit into clothes that have been consigned to the back of the wardrobe for a few years! Hill training is now starting to feature as going over the spine of England involves a lot of ups and downs!
We have now grown our ranks still further with the recent addition of Shaun Lavender, his son Sam and Louise Tennyson - welcome to the ranks of those willing to give their best for others!
I have now recovered from my recent training on the South Downs Way and now know I need new boots as my trusty 23 year old boots that had seen me through the Himalayas and the Hills of the UK as well as various other walks, have given up the ghost and were responsible for some very sore feet. I just need to break the new ones in! Inky did well over the 28 miles and her paws showed no ill effects which is very encouraging.
We have another new recruit in the shape of Peter Turnbull - better late than not at all. Well done Peter and thank you to you and all the team who are getting ready for this.
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Julian