It’s now the early hours of the
morning and I am currently overnighting in a gifted hotel in Peebles, Tweeddale
prior to the 197th consecutive day of my BRIT 2012 mile walk. The 8th
month (Scotland) was always going to be tough with 35 Lord Lieutenancy counties
to walk in 30 days. This is a daily back to back challenge and after the
setback of viruses and bladder infections, I am now going to up the mileage to
ensure I stay on track to complete the walk by mid/late December. What is tough
though, is finishing the walk followed by a long drive to the next location,
and then starting an evening of emailing, blogging, tweeting and making sure
that the BRIT strategy is driven forward with the support of our BRIT friends
who gift their support to make things happen.
It’s hard to sometimes get the
message across of just how tough this challenge is. By far it is the hardest I
have ever embarked on and this is largely due to the longevity of the
challenge. It has also become apparent in more recent weeks that due to the
time since sustaining my injury and all the physical challenges in between, the
extent of my injuries are less obvious. I also tend to gloss over the
difficulty as I need to remain completely focused, but have started to explain
that one mile for me (or someone with a spinal cord injury of my type) is the
equivalent of 3 to 4 times that of someone without. This is therefore a 7000 to
8000 mile challenge in distance and will be the equivalent of approximately 310
Marathon distances in 330 days. It’s tough.
My body is coping, however when I
experience very emotive days with young people, as well as feeding my
determination to make BRIT happen, my time with young people can also make me
feel tired mentally as I am constantly processing what I am listening to and
processing the experiences. Young People have it tough and every day I am
reminded of this by seeing first-hand just how difficult life can be for Young
People and listening to them and understanding why they feel despair and are in
desperate need for help and support.
The BRIT 2012 mile walk is
getting there and I believe that by keeping our powder dry, we will have our
time and we will gain support from businesses. I’ve been watching London 2012
as much as I can and am very aware that the time to ask has to be right and
cannot be overshadowed by another event. We need to captivate Great Britain and
we need to do it in a visionary and unique way. Legacy is a word I hear a great
deal, but I feel that to deliver and create a legacy, there must be a need, a
justification and we need empathy for our cause. I have not met anyone that
does not want BRIT to happen, but I need to turn my miles into money to fund
the BRIT Centre of Inspiration. We are unique in our approach and I am proud
that the only overhead the charity has is the website costs, however our
strategy needs to be smart and a great deal of work is going on behind the
scenes to prepare us to take BRIT to the next level.
BRIT is not just a sports legacy;
it is a visionary legacy aspiration including themes from every sector of
society to support young people post-trauma who desperately need inspiration.
We must deliver BRIT as many of their lives are not and will not improve
without being inspired and provided with a lifeline. I know this as the BRIT
2012 mile walk, in every county of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is
confirming the stark reality of just how severe the situation is for thousands
upon thousands of young people.
We are The British
Inspiration Trust. The word
"inspire" comes from the Latin word "inspirare" meaning
"to breathe life into". We need to breathe life into & inspire
young people now before it is too late and every day that passes by without a BRIT Centre, we are losing more and more young people who cannot cope
with the difficult and dark days they have to endure. We need to make BRIT
happen.
 |
| Proposed Drawing of the BRIT Centre of Inspirational Excellence |
I appreciate that receiving the
BRIT Blog may seem a little “Groundhog Day” when you read them, but I can
promise you that every day is different as I am walking with young people with
very different stories; the only thing in common is that they need vital
support as soon as possible. I cannot change their lives right now and I wish I
could. All I can do is hope that there will be a point this year when the BRIT
2012 mile walk will be acknowledged; not for its toughness on me, but that it
has confirmed just how tough it is for young people and that if businesses want
to inspire, then they have the power to create and build a legacy to not only
change lives, but to save lives.
I just wanted to say that I will
not stop until I have built BRIT; no matter how long it takes. I’m prepared for
the long haul (although I hope it is a short haul) and I am prepared for the
challenge and am prepared for this walk. We have no sponsors, no BRIT funds
going towards the challenge and yet it is working. If you’d like to join me on
the Challenge, please do, but I’m afraid there is no room in the car;
The Packing List
·
8 pairs of trainers (7 pairs of New Balance
trainers & 1 pair of Merrell trainers)
·
BRIT Fire Fighters Jacket
·
Waterproof Fire Fighters Jacket
·
5 x Cold Weather Jackets (varying thicknesses)
·
2 x Severe Wet Weather Jackets
·
2 x Day Jackets
·
4 x Cold Weather Breathable T-Shirts
·
2 x Charity T-Shirts
·
11 x Pairs of Trousers (various thicknesses and
weights)
·
4 Charity t-shirts ( Prince’s Trust, RNLI, PAPYRUS)
·
16 x Pairs of Socks
·
16 x Pairs of Underwear
·
2 x Wrist Bands to assist with reducing
over-heating
·
2 x Laptop Bags
·
6 x Spare Stoppers for Sticks
·
5 x Spare Walking staffs (1 x Prince’s Trust, 2
x Plain, 1 x Children's Trust and 1 x
BRIT 2012 Challenge Staff)
·
1 x Umbrella
·
1 x Waist-height Walking stick
·
1 x Snow Shovel
·
43 x Bottles of Water
·
17 x Bottles of Fruit Juice
·
8 x Cans of Energy Drink (Sparkling)
·
15 x Bottles of Energy Drinks (Soft)
·
19 x Energy Shakes
·
89 x Bottles of Lucozade
·
3 x Flasks
·
1 x Wheel Chair (for contingency)
·
3 x Boxes of BRIT Books
·
1 x Box of BRIT Badges
·
Toiletries x 3
·
2 x BRIT Number plates
·
5 x Boxes of Single Use Catheters (30 per box)
·
1 Bag of catheters
·
5 x Boxes of Surgical Gloves
·
25 x Boxes of Medication
·
6 x Boxes of Vitamins
·
4 x Packs of Berocca
·
1 x Emergency Box of Surgical Gloves &
Lubricating Jelly
·
1 x Pill box
·
1 x Box full of daily Vitamin Pills
·
1 x Survival First Aid Kit
·
3 x Water Bottles
·
1 x In Car-Charger
·
1 x Power Inverter
·
1 x Storm Shelter
·
2 x BRIT banners
I am approaching the 200th
day of the BRIT 2012 mile walk and would not be at this stage of the BRIT
Journey without the support of the BRIT Trustees, Young People, Friends and
Supporters. I am unable to pick up the phone or even drop a line as often as I
would like, but I want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you
for all your commitment, support, friendship and guidance.
With my very best wishes,
Phil