At Easter, I’ll be walking across Scotland, along the Southern Upland Way. Starting west of Stranraer (Portpatrick), and finishing near Dunbar (Cockburnspath), the Way is 212 miles long, and an ascent of approximately 22,000 feet.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Gurkha Welfare Trust will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

In a recent move, the UK government deigned to improve the pensions for Gurkhas who retired after June 1997. Anyone who retired earlier than that remains on 1/6th of the average army  pension. On average, that is £984 a year. World War Two, Malayan Emergency, Borneo, Falkand Islands, Kuwait, all for a fraction of the price of a regular British squaddy. Information about the Brigade of Gurkhas can be found here.

And the relevance of this to the SUW - quite simply a book called the "Gurkha Reiver".

The Gurkha Welfare Trust was established in England in 1969. Its remit is to provide financial, medical and community aid to alleviate hardship and distress among Gurkha ex-servcemen of the British Crown and their dependants after they have returned to their homeland of Nepal.

If you wish to support a cause closer to home, then here is a link to Comic Relief instead.

Whether you decide to donate here, elsewhere or not at all, you can follow my progress at my blog: aktoman.blogspot.com

Many thanks for your support,

Duncan