“If all the beasts were gone, Man would die from great loneliness of spirit; for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man” Chief Seattle, in a letter to President Franklin Pierce, 1855

 

No doubt you have barely recovered your equilibrium from forking out for London marathon importunates/swivel-eyed marginal M.P.’s/beaming blue rinses for the village fete/Sarah Palin look-alikes for the PTA etc. etc., when along comes this bit of blackmail!

On 26^th June I am running a half-marathon for Tusk Trust (UK Reg. Ch. 803118), a wildlife charity which does a fantastic amount of conservation and community based projects in sub-Saharan . I am one of Tusk’s trustees, and since its inception 20 years ago, on average over 85% of all the money it has raised has gone direct to the field, with administration costs kept to a minimum.

The Lewa half-marathon (13.2 miles) is not quite the pushover it sounds; we will run in Lewa Conservancy in northern , on hilly bush tracks in rhino country, at an average elevation of 5500 feet, which fills me with foreboding as I approach my fiftieth year. Early training runs have been a shock, discovering how ropey I have become, but I hope to finish in reasonable time.

Any sponsorship you give will go direct to Tusk Trust and in the current climate is especially appreciated.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.