For reasons that are unclear to us now, I decided with three other guys in the office who share the same name to enter a team in this year's Trailwalker event. Trailwalker, held on the 17-18 July, is a 100-kilometer (62.5 mile) team endurance challenge across the South Downs finishing in . Teams trek through the night attempting to complete the course in under 30 hours. Whilst finishing is the ultimate goal, we are hoping to come well inside that time. However, our initial bravado has been dented somewhat as training has often been shelved for injuries, blisters, the World Cup and, of course, the odd beer. The extraordinary course record of 9 hours 50 minutes, held by a team of Gurkhas, is certainly not in any danger from the 4 Ia(i)ns !

 

My employer, State Street, is once again the principal sponsor of the event, and the charities that benefit from any sponsorship money raised are Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust. Oxfam is obviously a charity that needs no introduction, and awareness of the Gurkhas' plight has been raised by Joanna Lumley's recent excellent campaign. However, less is known about what happens to the Gurkhas who are unable to or choose not to resettle in the UK. The Gurkha Welfare Trust provides financial, medical and community aid to alleviate hardship and distress among Gurkha ex-servicemen of the British Crown. The Trust provides a welfare pension (the equivalent of about £30 a month) to 10,000 Gurkha soldiers or their widows who did not complete the 15 years service required to qualify for a military pension. In addition it offers free doctors' surgeries and clinics to veterans in Nepal, a country which has no National Health Service.

 

I would be very grateful for any support you can give to these worthy causes. Thank you.