Our hearts go out to the Wakefield family, whose courage, dignity and love have been both moving and inspiring.

As you know, I have decided to do a sponsored walk in aid of CLIC Sargent, the childrens’ cancer charity. While it may be too late for Jack and his family, it might help save others in the future. Credit for the idea should to go Jon Foster - a Hampshire-based Gloucester fan, who has done a number of sponsored walks in the past, raising several thousand pounds for charity. When I asked him if he'd like some company on this one, he graciously accepted. He also accepted my condition that I should not be subjected to the "You weren't the real champions in 2003" lament heard so often down Castle Grim way!

We’re going to be doing the combined Bournemouth Coast Path and the Solent Way. The total distance is just under 90 miles, from Swanage, in Dorset, to Emsworth, on the Sussex/Hampshire border. Jon will be splitting it over two weekends, while I will start in midweek, and join up with him for the second half.

We’ll be doing it at the end of August. I propose to start on Tuesday the 22nd, and complete the first section by Thursday. I’ll then have a day’s break and join Jon on the Saturday. We aim to finish on the Bank Holiday Monday, August the 28th. The final stage will be far and away the shortest, so feel free to join us. I shall be taking the Good Beer Guide and Good Pub Guide with me, so we aim to end at a suitable hostelry.

The latest news is that Golly will also be joining us on Saturday the 26th. Christchurch Wasp has taken a day off work to accompany me on Day One, from Swanage to Mudeford. In addition, Steve Gotting plans to join us towards the end of the walk, and EssBee is going to be providing logistical support, of a nature yet to be specified - top of my list is getting some beers in, at the end of each day! I've also been approached by one of our players, who wants to do all he can to spread the word.

I would really appreciate it, if you could make some contribution to this worthy cause.

I have set up a page on which you can make your donation:

www.justgiving.com/barneyburnham

If you know of anybody who would also be interested in supporting us, please forward the details to them. Also, any suggestions that you can make, to ensure that the walk is the great success that such a worthy cause demands, will be most welcome.

To those who have already contributed, many thanks. To those who have yet to make a donation, thank you in advance. Hopefully, I’ll see some of you in Emsworth, or somewhere else along the route.

[Ed's footnote: those interested may care to check London Irish's board:

Irish

and these threads in particular:

Jack1

Jack2

]

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