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^ on Laurence's blog

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🚂 ALL ABOARD!

6 years on from BenTube - his triumphant whistle stop tour of all 273 London Underground stations in 2019, Ben Warner is back with another inspiring train tour: with a new friend 🐧

Ben defied the odds of his childhood medical setbacks - and brought his favourite toy penguin 'Mrs Cooper' (named after one of Ben's many Doctors) with him on all his important journeys, whether to the London Underground to raise £1.7k here on JustGiving for Stop the Traffik or at BBC Scotland's The Answer Run studios winning £3.7k for Sense with his brother Jeremy, as reported in the Daily Echo.

But on a trip to London to bring in 2025, toy tragedy struck: Mrs Cooper was carried off on a chilly winter street. Where to? Who knows, but not to Ben's AirBnB that night where he slept alone. Fortunately, Ben used some of his remaining Answer Run winnings to visit Hamley's Toy Store, but not all children are so lucky, and he - like his Christmas movie star Kevin - wants to do something for those who go to sleep at home alone.

So this time with his new friends 'Mrs Cooper x2', and his brother Jeremy, Ben's going Nationwide: from October 10th the team will visit every 'Light Rail' Station in the country: taking in Glasgow & Newcastle's Metros and London's DLR - before rounding off the weekend with some unfinished business underground on the new Elizabeth Line, ending at Tottenham Court Rd station. From here on Sunday afternoon, the rest of our family will join them for a toy donation walk-in from Hamley's to The Toy Project in North London.

🎁 And YOU'RE invited too!

We'd love to do some "rebicycling" and like Tom Hanks's Conductor, drop off a santa's sackful of toys - so why not dig out a donation and join us on the day. You could also give to Ben directly or at his Church or workplace. And if you really can't bear to let go of your favourite teddy, P-P-P-Pick up a Paypal & give directly to The TOY Project to run their shipments out to needy children this Christmas.

Many thanks,

Laurence Warner

(Toy & fund raising on behalf of my legendary older brother Ben)