Hello lovely people!

Bit of a problem and hopefully you can help. My new job comes with a summer shutdown. Two weeks! Brilliant, except the kids are still at school and Vicky’s short on holiday days. She told me not to waste it, so I had a think. After wading through far too many smug travel blogs I remembered The Way, a Martin Sheen film about the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage to a Spanish cathedral. Thousands walk it every year: sociable, scenic and just the sort of caper an introverted games programmer might secretly love. So I bought a rucksack, walking shoes and flights there and back.

“You jammy so-and-sooo what’s the problem?”

The route from Porto is 280 km, about 173 miles. That’s a lot of steps, a lot of blisters and quite possibly a fair bit of Galician rain. Plenty of walkers quit. I’m not convinced these ageing knees or my willpower will survive. Aaaand that’s where you come in. If you’ve read this far (thank you!) and can sling a quid to SpecialEffect, I'll remember it when my feet start moaning. I'm getting to that cathedral if giving up means letting you down. And what a cause... since 2007 SpecialEffect has opened up video games to physically disabled children, giving them the joy of play and connection. Proper heart-warming, life-changing stuff.

Anyway, cheers for reading and an even bigger thanks for any donations. I promise to earn every penny on the path.

Phil.

SpecialEffect are a charity that transforms the lives of people with physical challenges right across the world through the innovative use of technology. They're enabling inclusion and enjoyment by helping people to unlock the magic of video games to the best of their abilities, they're bringing communication, independence and hope for people in intensive care units with severe injuries, and they're using telepresent robots to reconnect medically isolated children with their education and friends. Find out more at www.specialeffect.org.uk.