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It’s not usual for me to ask and I am acutely aware of how many sponsored things people seem to do these days, but in this instance I have something very close to my heart that with a little help from you all could really make a significant difference. Before we first went to Kenya we held a wonderful day’s Treasure Hunt to raise money for our trip. Some of that money, for those of you who have followed our exploits longer term will remember, went to Base Academy and the painting project described below.   Whilst Kate and I were in Kenya with GVI, we spent a lot of our time working at Base Academy with an outstandingly special person, the headmaster Mr Mwamose. He and his wife had built the school from nothing to catering for 70 pupils in just a couple of years. Since we left Kenya it had increased again and had moved to bigger premises to cater for the pupils, which was still not big enough to house all the kids who wanted to be part of Base Academy.   A big part of what is missing is a classroom for standard 8 pupils, the final year of students who complete their primary education aged around 16 and compared to most kids who never make it that far have at least a minimum qualified level of education to complete their studies and have a better chance to find a job.   It is such a shame that the school is missing this vital finish to the children’s education to allow them to complete what they started at one of the best schools in the district. GVI still work closely with Base Academy but with limited resources there is only so much they can do.   Due to my continued involvement with GVI and thanks to our close friends in Kenya, Kate and I have been able to follow the incredible progress of Base Academy with pride and joy for the outstanding effort Mr Mwamose has made in building not only a growing school, but a place that parents compete to send their children and something that is a beacon of education to the whole community and beyond. Mr Mwamose has been instrumental in all of this and he truly is one of the most inspirational, enthusiastic and utterly committed people I have ever met in my life.   One image that will never leave me is of the day we started whitewashing the walls of the newly plastered kindergarten class ready to start covering it in colourful murals to turn the bare rock room into a place of pictures and smiles for the littlest kids. As soon as the whitewash was mixed Mr Mwamose was the first with brush in hand, splattering it about, as much over him as the wall, notwithstanding he was dressed in his typical crisply ironed shirt, sharply creased black trousers and super-shined shoes. Hilarious! So it was with absolute shock and stunned disbelief that I had an email from Drew, my friend and GVI base manager in Kenya the week before last to tell me that unfortunately, Mr Mwamose has died. He was only in his early 50s and his time with us was cut far too short and has robbed the school and the whole community of a figurehead and an example to everyone that Kenya so sorely needs.   I cannot fully describe what a huge loss his death means to the school and to his lovely wife who is such a kind-hearted woman and was always so easy to smile. In fact that is what I remember about Mr Mwamose so much, that he had the most incredible smile and such an infectious laugh.   In memory of a great man I would very much like to raise the money to build the Standard 8 classroom to give the school the stability it needs so much in his recent absence and to give the community a boost after losing him. I have consulted with the GVI guys in Shimoni about what best I could do and this was their suggestion. The cost associated is around £1500 which would see the entire project paid for from start to finish.   Now, I’m not so simple as to assume that even with the story above you will all simply open your pockets and hand over the cash. Fear not, I am more than willing to work for your contributions.   As you will know I am keen on my cycling and have done a few races recently. My biggest challenge yet will see me participate in the gruelling Cape Argus Classic. This sees 32,000 cyclists join together on March 13th to battle their way over the highest climbs Cape Town has to offer over a course measuring 110kms long. It will be tough, it will be fast and it will be long. But not only that, there is more. If I can raise my target of £1500 then I will take myself off to the nearest beauty salon and I will put myself through the unenviable task of having my legs waxed clear of all hair. I've been told by my wife to clarify that this is a FULL not a HALF! For those of you that have seen my hirsute pins this is no small undertaking. In fact it’ll probably hurt more than the last epic climb up Chapmans Peak during the race.   All I ask of each of you is this, for every blog I have posted in the last year, that I enjoy writing and you enjoy reading, just 10 pence. Yes 10 PENCE! That means if each of you contribute just £5 for all of my keyboard bashing, ranting, rambling and meandering we will be able to hit my target and give the school a classroom and give Mr Mwamose a memorial that he so richly deserves.   I have set up this Just Giving page that will channel the money into the GVI Charitable Trust and from there it will be administered by the GVI guys on the ground to ensure that every penny goes exactly where it is needed.   Please help me in this undertaking and make me, Mrs Mwamose and the kids at Base Academy happier in this dark time for them.

Cape Argus Leg Wax Challenge

Cape Argus Leg Wax Challenge

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