Well, I guess if all you can do during lockdown is go for a walk, why not make it a meaningful one?

We're raising money in memory of two people who we miss dearly.

Matt Caine was our friend; a husband, a dad, a son, a brother and a really good maths teacher. He was taken away from his friends and family in September 2018, at the age of 36. He had a brain tumour. Matt would have cheered us along with this challenge, but told us that he didn't like walking *that* much so he‘d pass. Plus, City were playing later anyway...

Stephen Buckley was James' dad. He was also a teacher and taught all of us French or German at some stage (and inadvertently, how to swear in both). His pupils will tell stories of his enthusiasm for languages and his terrifying stare if you stepped out of line. He loved walking and if you need an Ordnance Survey map, he would have it. Stephen was at home in the outdoors and would have loved this challenge. He passed away in June 2005, following a stroke, aged 57.

Matt's wife, Hayley, has planted a tree in his memory on a beautiful spot near Dovestones Reservoir on the edge of the Pennines. Stephen was a resident of Bollington, Cheshire, and loved to climb its most famous landmark, White Nancy.

Looking at a map, there is a marked long-distance route, known as E2, which links the two spots. They are 44.5km apart.

Our aim is to walk from Dovestones to Bollington in a day. If we make it, and they're open, we'll celebrate in one of Bollington's many pubs. And we'll raise a glass to Matt and Stephen.

We're raising money for Brain Tumour Research and for the Stroke Association. Unfortunately, we can only link to one charity at a time, so please choose which one you'd like to donate to - ideally, we'd like to split the money evenly so please bear that in mind when choosing. The two pages are here:

Brain Tumour Research:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/james-buckley23

The Stroke Association:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/james-buckley22

Thank you!

The Hairy Hikers