OK. So...

Like many (if not most) Arts Organisations, The Theatre that I work for in Chipping Norton is on the long, arduous and sometimes apparently endless road back to financial break-even after the pandemic and cost of living crisis.

This year is our fiftieth anniversary. Five decades of art, entertainment and social impact in our little community. And if we are to continue our work, particularly making our own productions and the non-commercial outreach programmes, we need to use our anniversary to get ourselves back to a sustainable position.

I've been at Chippy Theatre for fifteen years now, and have had the pleasure of working with and alongside a huge number of wonderful people. We've had some memorable adventures along the way that I hope you have got to share - either as audience or as participant. Or maybe you're just a friend or family member who I have emotionally blackmailed into supporting me.

And, on top of all that, I am sneaking up on my own personal fiftieth anniversary, so a good physical challenge is probably in my best interests too. Having attempted and partly nailed the coast to coast walk a few years back, I am looking forward to this one.

The plan is - 100 km - non-stop - day/night/day - of the Cotswold Way, including 2,500 metres of climb. I am training early-mornings before school drop-off, and weekends, tromping around Oxfordshire with my headphones in.

Whatever I raise will go towards supporting and extending our outreach work - especially the work we do with:

- young people with mental health challenges and their families

- families experiencing economic disadvantage

- Great Company, our theatre company for adults with learning disabilities

If you can spare a few quid (£25? (or less (or more!)) and I realise that in this day and age, not all of you can, both I and the participants in these programmes would be very grateful.

I will endeavour not to fall down in an awful, broken, blistered and soggy mess.

JTx

Here is a video with me and yabbing on about some of the work this will support, and some of the people benefitting from it.