My
BRIT 2012 mile blog; sharing encounters and memories from every county of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland throughout 2012
2012
BRIT miles with a spinal cord injury; the equivalent of 310 marathon distances
in 331 days to support young people post-trauma
Thanks
to everyone for supporting me on my toughest challenge
This
month’s BRIT 2012 mile walk is December in London
I can’t quite seem to kick this
virus and woke very early after a restless sleep last night. After a shower and
being ready for a new day I seem to produce an adrenalin kick pre-walk and
meeting the young people, but post walks, it doesn’t take very long for my body
to start aching and tiredness kicks in very quickly. I am trying to stay on top
of the blog, the emails and the messages that are coming in thick and fast, but
it’s taking me ages to concentrate on a few lines of writing and I am feeling
pretty tired.
I started this morning with a
great catch up with Kate Bosomworth from Speed Communications to discuss the
final stages of the BRIT 2012 mile walk.
I then travelled to Grange
Primary School in Harrow where I spent time with the young children and staff.
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| With Grange Primary School on Day 327 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
Once again, Kids Company arranged my visit and it was a pleasure to spend time
at the school.
From Harrow, I travelled to Brent
to meet students and staff at the Ark Academy http://www.arkacademy.org/
in Wembley.
Ark Academy has at its core the
pursuit of highest standards possible in education. They believe in high
aspirations, high motivation and high achievement for all. Through their
extended curriculum and community life they seek to meet the needs of the whole
person. Civitas - citizenship - is at their core. They believe in building a
community of civic pride and social justice in which all members are equally
valued. They are committed to the service of young people and help them play
their full part in society.
In light of this they aim to:
·
Provide every student with the knowledge,
skills, self-belief and motivation to be
successful in their learning and lives
·
Welcome, value and respect all who come to the
school
·
Build a community based on justice and a sense
of personal responsibility
·
Provide opportunities for all to experience
Civitas whilst developing a spirit of
tolerance and understanding for all
cultures, traditions and faiths
·
Promote dialogue and co-operation with the wider
community
Their driving principles are:
·
Excellence
·
Citizenship
·
Participation
·
Persistence
Their goal:
Their goal is that all students
should be able to access higher education and participate fully in our
democratic society.
It was a pleasure to meet the
students and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Academy.
On Day 328 I walked with the Army
Cadet Force in both Kingston and Richmond.
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| With Army Cadet Force cadets at Richmond on Day 328 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
The Army Cadet Force have been
tremendous supporters of my walk this year, particularly during the holidays
and weekends when Universities, Colleges and Schools have been closed.
 |
| Having a great time with Army Cadet Force cadets in Richmond on Day 328 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
I always
enjoy my time with the cadets and it was a pleasure to meet the two units in
Kingston and Richmond.
 |
| With the Army Cadet Force cadets in Kingston on Day 328 of my BRIT walk |
Both walks were absolutely beautiful; the tow path in
Kingston along the Thames and the stunning Richmond Park Scenery. We also had
time to stop off at the Royal Star and Garter Home for veterans.
 |
| At the Royal Star and Garter Home in Richmond on Day 328 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
The day finished with a walk
around The Stoop, the home of Harlequins Rugby Football Club http://www.quins.co.uk/ in
Twickenham.
I am sincerely grateful to the club for inviting me on match day
and the invitation to walk around the ground at half-time. The standing ovation
from their fans as I walked around the ground was humbling and very emotional.
 |
| Chatting with afan at the Harlequins Rugby Club on Day 328 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
Thank you to everyone at Harlequins for making the day such a special one and
giving me such a warm welcome.
 |
| Walking around The Stoop - the home of Harlequins Rugby Club on day 328 of my BRIT 2012 mile walk |
A busy couple of days and I am
finishing Day 328 with 12 miles to go.
My very best wishes,
Phil