Oliver Brodrick-Ward
Ollie Brodrick-Ward's Fundraising Page
Fundraising for Blesma The Limbless Veterans
Story
Charity Expedition
On June 19th - 20th Ollie Brodrick-Ward , Charlie Taylor and Anthony Arthur are attempting to make a “border dash”; running then hiking from France to Spainacross the massif of Mont Valier by way of a route known as The Freedom Pass or “Le Chemin de la Liberte”.
The route which starts at St Girons in Ariege, and finishes at Esterri d’Aneu, Catalonia, Spain , was used by POWs fleeing Nazi occupied France during WWII. The route is unique in that it commemorates one of several secret escape routes over the central Pyrenees into northern Spain and was used by 782 French civilians and allied servicemen between the period 1940 - 1945.
The route is only accessible between June and September, is approximately 50 miles in distance and rises to a height of 9,000ft. Depending upon the weather and our grasp of ground conditions, we are attempting to travel the route in less than 48 hours.
The Charities
We are raising money for BLESMA which has a strong connection with Le Chemin de la Liberte.
www.blesma.org
Our first chosen charity is The British Limbless Ex-Servicemen’s Association (BLESMA) which provides support and care to amputees and other disabled ex-servicemen. Today BLESMA helps thousands of amputees of all ages, from those who served during WWII to those who served in more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions. It provides residential and convalescent housing, as well as counselling and financial assistance. It helps amputees with employment and it also funds research into prosthetic limbs and runs training in prosthetics and orthotics.
Thank you very much for your support and look forward to catching up on our return!
Ollie Brodrick-Ward, Charlie Taylor, Anthony Arthur