You may know I have just had an operation on my back. I am being encouraged to walk and gradually build up the distance to enhance recovery.

So, in good business practice, I hope to make an opportunity from a possible crisis and do a sponsored walk. Good for me and good for the charities!

I thought a good target was the 120km to Dieppe and back, at around 10-15km a day in the next 6 weeks to total 240km and raise a little money to help animals in Sussex and Africa.

Every good fundraiser of this type supposedly needs a sob story of suffering to get the generous and tender-hearted people, like you, involved. So, here’s mine without the picture of the 6” scar!

4 years ago, I was told I should not have this decompression operation as it was for people who could only walk a few 100 yards and back operations were dangerous. It was better to struggle on and take pain killers. Last year another person from the Horder Centre, a surgeon as opposed to a physio, said this advice was wrong and there was over 80% success and under 1% catastrophic failure. So, I went ahead and believed the surgeon, not the physio. I arose and can walk!

I clearly can’t walk on water- just ask the new wife! But if you would like to join me on a celebratory trip on the 10am ferry Newhaven to Dieppe, mid September, let me know and I will see if we have a small party and maybe we could negotiate a group discount.

The photo is from the last sponsored walk on the Camino way 3 years ago. I can’t walk with our dogs yet in case they pull my stiches out! But if I can do any of the distance the challenge itself will encourage me and enhance my recovery.

I hope you will join and sponsor me. I will let you know how much we raise early September.

So select either:

The first team member, Ian Kerr, represents Helping Rhinos.

The second team member, also called Ian Kerr, represents Raystede Cenre for Animal Welfare.

You are welcome to donate to both if you so wish!

I am grateful for any amount. Click on the logos below to learn more about the two charities.

Update 18 July 2022:

Thank you all so much, especially, as many of you also gave to my 75th birthday or the wedding without presents appeal last September. I am flattered that 32 people have given already excluding 2, who gave to other charities as they do not support animals.

I am about halfway to Dieppe and already your contribution has helped me walk further and faster to exceed my targets. So, what next?

It would be wonderful if we reached £1166 for Raystede as this would feed all the dogs in our kennels for 2 months. Each week’s food is about £10. So how many dogs can you feed?

Helping Rhinos has a programme of putting on a protection collar which allows an animal to be traced and, if necessary, tracked from rangers on land or in the air. This involves, finding the animal, a vet visit, DNA test, any medicines as well as the collar itself. Each animal protected costs £950 : could we do 2?

Can you do a bit more please? If not: no worries as I will not be asking you again. But can send the link and a commendation onto your friends or any social media?

Have a look at both wonderful charities:

Raystede.org

Helpingrhinos.org

Thank you,

Ian