As you may know, I periodically undertake a cycling challenge for the Footprints Foundation and I plan to do the same this June. I have been working with the Footprints Foundation – an organisation founded and still led from the front by Mr Bob Holt, OBE – for many years.

The Footprints Foundation supports the Khaya Centre and its network of orphanages near Johannesburg providing day care, education, clothing, food and medical help to young children – many of whom lost their parents to AIDS, have been abandoned by their families or sexually abused. Or all of these. The Centre and its network are providing the only daily meal many of these children get as well as love and care which is worth far more.

BPE has supported the Footprints Foundation for many years – a team of 12 people from BPE travelled to Johannesburg in 2013 to help build an orphanage in Zenzeleni – and now, BPE is mentoring a student, Forgiveness, with her university legal studies. Indeed, I am planning to travel to South Africa later in the year to take part once
again in one of the volunteer projects that is waiting to get under way just as soon as pandemic restrictions are lifted.

So, with my Partner Adam Kean and old friend and cycling buddy, Tim Williams (formerly of this parish), I am donning my cycling helmet and taking to the wheels again. This year I’m staying local-ish and heading to the independent republic of Scotland (Inverness to be precise) and aim to cover a total distance of over 500 miles in seven days - the North Coast 500.

We will be supported by Bob Holt as team manager, driver and unrelenting supplies of support and encouragement.

Across those seven days, Adam, Tim and I will travel the “circular” route, visiting un-pronounceable areas of the north of Scotland and will cycle upwards of 70 miles a day. We will attempt to cover brutal Scottish munros between Lochcarron, Gairlock and Rhiconich (“that’s easy for you to say…”) including the mighty Bealach Na Ba (again, that’s easy for you to say) all 6 miles and 2000 feet of it - said to be one of the toughest climbs in Scotland. In fact, much of the route
has the topographical profile of sharks’ teeth.

The weather will probably be frightful – wind and rain are actually the biggest threats to health and sanity!

And midges – obviously.

As always, I don’t have a fixed target for fundraising, simply as much as possible for this very worthy cause so please dig deep.

All cash raised will go to Footprints and many thanks are due again to my Partners at BPE and Bob Holt himself who are supporting this effort.