A massive thank you for taking the time to visit my Big Walk 2016 JustGiving page.

I'm sure many of you will have seen the powerful images of thousands of refugees making their long arduous walks to safety fleeing wars and persecution leaving behing everything they hold dear: family, friends, community, homes, possessions, careers and livelihoods.

As soon as I found out that the University of Sheffield was raising
funds through the Big Walk this year to support refugee academics and students at the University I jumped at the chance to participate.

I will be walking as a member of one of 2 teams of 10 staff
eachwalking over 120 miles from 12-17 June to Sheffield on the Trans
Pennine Trail. The team I am in will be walking from the west coast in Southport and the other team from the east coast in Hornsea. We will meet in Tankersley on Day 5 and walk the 18 miles back to the University campus the following day accompanied by the Big Walk One Day Challenge team of staff, students, alumni and friends.

Funds raised through the Big Walk 2016 will be used in the following ways:

•       Supporting at-risk academics: We have strong links with a number of programmes to support at-risk academics, including the Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund and the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) - a charity which helps academics in immediate danger, those forced into exile. Through these partnerships, the University of Sheffield can host academics, giving them a place of safety and the financial and practical help to continue their careers until such as time as they can return home.

•       Students seeking refuge or asylum: The University offers fully funded undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for refugees including those seeking asylum in the UK. Throughout 2016 we will be
raising funds to increase this support.

More information about The Big Walk 2016 can be found at www.shef.ac.uk/big-walk

So please please please dig deep, every little helps as they say....

Thank you for supporting the Big Walk 2016.

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