Thank you to Wales
Walking the twenty two counties
of Wales throughout October has been an absolute pleasure. The support each day
has been both humbling and extraordinarily generous. I am sincerely
grateful to the First Minister of the Welsh Assembly for his kind words;
The Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM
“It can be difficult at
the best of times for young people ages 16-25 as they make their transition
into adulthood. We want those with additional learning needs, deprivation,
injury and wounding and those who are young carers to move seamlessly from
children’s service provisions into adult services, We want to have the same
opportunities as everyone else in terms of gaining meaningful employment, or
moving into higher or further education. Because of this we have made clear our
belief that having a real person to support a young person and their families
through transition is very important. I am pleased therefore to be able to
support the British Inspiration Trust. I hope that many young people will be
able to benefit from the support this initiative will bring them”.
The Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM
It is a real boost to have
received support from so many Lord Lieutenants, Mayors, Councillors,
Universities, Colleges, Schools, charities and voluntary organisations.
The support from the Armed Forces including Cadets, the UK Scouting Association
and Girlguiding UK has also been tremendous. The kindness of hotels to gift
accommodation has greatly assisted with reducing costs of the challenge and I
am sincerely grateful to the people of Wales for their hospitality, support and
warmth.
I have learnt a great deal from
the hundreds of young people I have met who have been an absolute inspiration
to me each day that I have walked. Many of their journeys are very tough,
however they are giving their all to move forward with positive attitudes and
self-belief that they will succeed. I wish all the young people I have met in
Wales the very best for their chosen futures and I hope that they achieve what
they strive for in their personal lives and with their education, chosen
vocations and future employment.
 |
| With Martez James Lucy and Lesley in Wales |
It was fantastic to meet up with
my sister, Lesley, my brother-in-law, Martez, my nephew, James and my niece,
Lucy. It has been difficult to spend time with my family this year, so
enjoying an evening together was a wonderful opportunity to catch up.
I also had the pleasure of meeting
my great friends from the Royal Military Police. Mal & Lynne Grainger and
Taff & Kay Roberts have been close friends for many years. They are friends
whose love and friendship have been unconditional. They have always
offered guidance, advice and support as well as being there in the difficult
times. It has been years since we have all been together and it was an absolute
joy to see them all.
 |
| With Lynne Grainger, Kay Roberts, Taff Roberts and Mal Grainger |
During a month when I have
started to find the challenge very tough going, have been unwell and struggled
on quite a few days to cope with bladder infections and stomach aches, this was
a real boost to my moral; a real treat to be with such super friends.
Day 278 to Day 286 - Driving
BRIT forward and maintaining the miles
From Wales I travelled back to
West Sussex for a number of important meetings regarding the BRIT Centre of
Inspiration.
Over the last week I have managed
to maintain my miles each day and between Day 278 and Day 286 I have covered 54
miles with an average of 6 miles each day. I have based myself in West Sussex
this last week to recover from Wales and prepare for the Midlands in
November.
 |
| The BRIT Centre of Inspirational Excellence |
I am thrilled that in the last
week I have been offered the opportunity of discussing and exploring a
potential site for the BRIT Centre of Inspiration. This is just the start
of the process, however it is an exciting prospect and I am delighted there is
momentum on the BRIT Centre in conjunction with the BRIT 2012 mile walk.
The continued support I have
received from our BRIT Trustees has been fantastic. I am lucky to have
three selfless and understanding Trustees who constantly give advice, guidance
and support. The regular conversations and mentoring I receive from the
Chairman of Trustees, Martin Lewis, not only keep my spirits up, but make me
appreciate what we have all achieved as a charity through the kindness of
people and companies who gift their time and support to drive us closer to our
aim.
 |
| Martin Lewis, BRIT Trustee |
 |
| Mike Peckham, BRIT Trustee |
 |
| Darren Whittingham, BRIT Trustee |
Running a charity in this way is
one of the toughest challenges. Voluntary support is very different to
paid staff and everyone is giving as much as they can. Should we have
gone down the road of employing lots of staff, our overheads would be
considerable and we would be fundraising to survive before we could ask for
companies to pledge their support. The journey has been longer this way
and I had hoped we would be further on, however we haven’t changed our
principles in running BRIT as a charity for charities and this really is
something we should all take pride in. Martin and Darren also continue to
give their full support and I am very fortunate to have such positive people
behind all we do.
I also had an exciting meeting
with Clare, John and Rick to discuss and talk through some of the strategy for
London. This will be a big month and the culmination of a year of walking
with young people and raising the profile of BRIT regionally. I sincerely hope
that the challenge will gain national media coverage to give the profile of
BRIT a boost and to recognise the super support BRIT and I have received from
so many supporters, friends and colleagues.
At the end of Day 286 I have 230
miles to go.
My sincere thanks to everyone for
all their support, belief and kindness.
Day 287 - Silverstone,
Northamptonshire
 |
| The County of Northamptonshire Coat of Arms |
Northamptonshire (or Northants)
is a landlocked ceremonial county in the East Midlands region of England.
In 2011 its population was 692,000. The county seat is Northampton and the
county is bordered by 8 other ceremonial counties.
The region of Northamptonshire,
Oxfordshire and the South Midlands has been described as “Motorsport Valley”
and a global hub for the motor sport industry. The Mercedes GP and Force India
Formula One teams have their bases at Brackley and Silverstone respectively,
while Cosworth and Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines are also in the
county at Northampton and Brixworth.
International motor-racing takes
place at Silverstone Circuit and Rockingham Motor Speedway; Santa Pod Raceway
is just over the border in Bedforshire (but has a Northants postcode). A study
commissioned by Northamptonshire Enterprise Ltd (NEL) reported that
Northamptonshire's motorsport sites attract more than 2.1 million visitors per
year who spend a total of more than £131 million within the county.
Today I was at Silverstone Motor
Racing circuit http://www.silverstone.co.uk/
It is best known as the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted
in 1948 and which has been held on the circuit every year since 1987. The
circuit is also home to the BRDC International Trophy, awarded to the winner of
a race for historic F1 cars at the annual Silverstone Classic meeting.
 |
| The British Racing Drivers' Club Logo |
The circuit is owned by the
British Racing Drivers’ Club http://www.brdc.co.uk/
The British Racing Drivers’ Club is, arguably, the most exclusive club in motor
racing. With a membership that numbers only 850, it is home to the most
successful racing drivers from Great Britain and the Commonwealth. Those who
have met the exacting entry criteria have achieved at the highest levels of the
sport, or made a significant contribution to enable others to do so.
Membership of the BRDC is highly
sought after and extremely difficult to achieve. The list of Members, past and
present, reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of motor sport.
The BRDC owns and operates
Silverstone Circuit on the Buckinghamshire/Northamptonshire borders. The Club
has been responsible for developing Silverstone into a world class motor sport
venue and promoting top flight motor sport there for approaching 60 years.
The Club takes it responsibility
as ‘guardians of British motor sport’ very seriously. In addition to
maintaining and operating the only circuit currently licensed to run a Grand
Prix in Great Britain, the BRDC has for many years fostered young driver
talent. That these factors have contributed to Great Britain retaining its high
profile and achieving considerable success within motor sport over many years,
is a source of great pride to the Club and its Members.
Silverstone is built on the site
of a World War II Royal Air Force bomber station, RAF Silverstone, which opened
in 1943. The airfield's three runways, in classic WWII triangle format, lie
within the outline of the present track.
 |
| Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit |
Silverstone was first used for
motorsport by an ad hoc group of friends who set up an impromptu race in
September 1947. One of their members, Maurice Geoghegan, lived in nearby
Silverstone village and was aware that the airfield was deserted. He and eleven
other drivers raced over a two mile circuit. For more about the history of the
circuit, please click here; http://www.silverstone.co.uk/about/history/
My visit coincided with the
Walter Hayes Trophy. The Walter Hayes Trophy has established itself as
something of a crowd favourite, and is now the largest race meeting for Formula
Ford cars in the world. Heading to Silverstone on the 3 November to 4 November,
this event regularly attracts in excess of 150 talented drivers to do battle on
the National Circuit. The knock-out format races are open to talented newcomers
as well as experienced old hands and produce some very close racing.
Unfortunately today the weather
was atrocious at Silverstone with water pooling around the track, however
drivers did take their cars out in the afternoon as the track improved. I
met some of the young children from East Claydon School who are involved with
one of the racing teams as a project at the school to learn more about
engineering, motor-racing and road safety.
It was a pleasure to visit
Silverstone today.
The Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf and Spa
 |
| The Luton Hoo Hotel, Golf and Spa |
I am writing this blog from a
room at the Luton Hoo Hotel http://www.lutonhoo.co.uk/
following Day 287 and I am grateful to the hotel for their kindness and
generosity to support me on the BRIT 2012 mile walk. Once again, this
kind of support is sincerely appreciated to reduce the cost of the challenge.
It’s been a pleasure to walk around the grounds this evening to make sure I
complete my full six miles today to stay on track.
 |
| The West Midlands |
November and December are going
to be tough months. November is the West Midlands region of England and includes
walks in the Counties and Unitary Authorities of Essex, Herefordshire (Hereford), Shropshire, Shropshire (Shropshire), Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent (Staffordshire), Telford & Wrekin (Shropshire), Warwickshire (Rugby), West Midlands (Birmingham) and Worcestershire (Worcester). November will all include
Remembrance commitments and support to other charities and voluntary
organisations before reaching the final month in December.
 |
| Greater London |
December is the final month of
the BRIT 2012 mile walk in the Greater London region of England and will
include walks in the 33 London Boroughs of;
At the end of Day 287 of my BRIT
2012 mile walk to raise awareness of providing a lifeline for young people
post-trauma and building a BRIT Centre of Inspiration, I have 224 miles to go.
With best wishes,
Phil