Pilgrimage to Carrow Road

2010-04-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

It is now several weeks since the walk came to its conclusion. It has left some wonderful memories and we have a great sense of achievement. I am incredibly grateful to all those who helped and supported us. So far the money raised is as follows:

A ten thousand pound legacy was given and is tied into providing equipment for The Bishop's School such as science equipment. This money has already been sent and received. We are going to be given accountability about how precisely this money is being used.

A twenty thousand pound gift has also been given and is waiting to be sent.

So far five thousand and five hundred pounds has been received from those who have sponsored the walk. Money is still being received and should amount to at least six thousand.

There is the possibility of a bucket collection at Norwich City FC next season.

June and I are being sent by our Church to Uganda in May in order to ensure that the money raised goes to where it is designed to go. This will give us a chance to meet the staff and governors of the Bishop's School, take photographs and generally get the work moving. When we return with the team in August we hope to report good progress.

2010-03-09T02:30:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Summerell, Martin Muir, Canon Richard Darmody and Alan Howard with Delia Smith

Arrival

2010-03-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

Arrival at Carrow Road, left to right Alan Howard, Richard Darmody, Martin Muir and Jeremy Summerell

2010-03-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

Days 5 and 6(Friday and Saturday 5th-6th March): Wymondham to Carrow Road. The final push to Norwich put a spring in the heels of the four walkers who began in Ely, and now the end was in sight. After another All English Breakfast we set out. The way was mainly footpath and so the pace was a cracking one. At Kett's Oak, which is a tree transported from the site of the 16th peasant's uprising we met two young soldiers who were walking from John o Groat's to Lands End, which put our small offering into perspective. However, nothing could take away the sense of accomplishment as we passed Hetherset and soon the suburbs of Norwich came into sight. We had arrived. At the end of the 70 mile walk we enjoyed some comfort at the Annesley Hotel; a long soak in the bath, a cup of tea and a chat in the lounge brought a feeling of well being. There was opportunity for sightseeing in the afternoon and a meal with each other and David Armes in the evening. There was a sense of happy satisfaction.

Saturday. Breakfast as late as 9am felt a luxury. June who had had a much earlier start from home caught an early train and arrived while we were still at breakfast. We all set off at 10.15 for Carrow Road on our shortest leg of the journey. We stopped for a while at Alan's mother's house as I had done as a child, she is now 96years old. She remembered me as "the little blonde boy from the bottom of Ketts Hill."

At Carrow Road we were shown into The Gunn Room and before long Delia Smith arrived with husband Michael. Delia was charm itself and very generous with her time. Together with the Club Photographer she took us onto the sacred turf of Carrow Road and our photograph was taken with Delia. She also said that the Club would take an interest in our work with Ugandan children, something which brought joy to our hearts. She suggested we might bring willing hands and buckets to collect at the ground. She also showed an interest in the Club supporting this as a charitable project. After Delia had signed our memorabilia we took a table next to hers for a three course meal and a bottle of white wine, all on the house. Later we were introduced to the members of the Gunn Room and given an ovation. The scoreline of Norwich 3 Yeovil 0 felt the perfect end to a perfect day.

Donations: we have completed this walk for the children of Uganda and in particular to provide a school in S W Uganda which will improve the lot of its impoverished young people.If you wish to contribute send a cheque made out to 'St Thomas a Becket PCC' and mark it, for the 'Walk for Uganda.' Send it to me, Canon Richard Darmody, 16, Hollow Lane, Ramsey, Cambs, PE26 1 DE.

This Blog: I will keep this blog going to show how the money people have donated is used-keep reading it!

2010-03-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

Day Four (Thursday 4th March): Larling to Wymondham.
Once again the day broke fair, with Spring sunshine if cold air. We were joined today by David Stokes and John Oram. Soon after setting out my mobile phone rang. It was to tell us that a dear friend and parishoner Felicity Littledyke had died following a courageous fight. As Felicity was known to most walkers we stood and held a moments silence and then I led a short prayer. In the knowledge that Felicity was very supportive we decided to press on with the day's walk.

The Norfolk countryside was just as John Betjamin would have described. We walked the country lanes which are distinctive of this area with their gently underlating fields and the occasional copse of trees surrounding a medieval Church, like the one we passed at Rockland St Mary's. We rested on the village green when we got to Great Elligham; eating the enormous Scotch Eggs or giant sausage rolls (I personally couldn't master both!).

For David Stokes, a Fenland farmer, today was a busman's holiday. He entertained us with informative comments about the crops and conditions. For example he entered a field to collect a sugar beet, cut it open with his pen knife and shared out its sweet contents.

The afternoon meant the long walk through Morley and other villages to Wymondham. There had been a lot of road work today and so the sight of the beautiful Abbey with it's ruin beside it's functioning Church building was a welcome beacon.

Donations

2010-03-05T00:58:00.000-08:00

This morning Radio Cambridgeshire asked how people may donate to this appeal for the school in Uganda. We are grateful for the enormous generousity shown so far. We have received donations from people in all walks of life and would encourage you to
join them in this act of love and support for those in need and to help the future development of rural Uganda. Thank you.

Cheques may be made payable to:
ST. THOMAS a BECKET. PCC (Uganda Appeal)

Please send to:
CANON R. DARMODY
THE RECTORY, 16 HOLLOW LANE, RAMSEY, CAMBS. PE26 1DE

2010-03-04T01:10:00.000-08:00

Day Three: Brandon to Larling (Norfolk).
And then we were four. Our day walkers had left us in Brandon the night before and today it was the four of us who were walking the whole way to Norwich who were on our own; Jeremy, Alan, Martin and myself. The day started mild as the milky sun was just about detectable. This was to prove something of a delusion as a biting east wind got up and blew in our faces. Walking through Thetford Forest was a welcome change from the previous day. Now with sand and pine needles beneath our feet we had a natural carpet to walk on. We chatted about our favourite films and actors (not to mention actresses!)and the funny lines we remembered from John Cleese in Clockwise and Monty Python (I had exhausted Fawlty Towers the previous night at the Otel). After Santon Downham our attention was drawn to some speckled lambs with a ram and older sheep which gave us reason to get the camera's clicking.

We were like ecstatic school boys when June turned up in the car with our lunch. By then we felt cold and hungry. Fortified by our snack we set off at some pace, walking single file along a minor road, past Army Camps and Chicken Farms to Great Hockham where we will start again tomorrow. The Angel Pub at Larling with it's wood fire was a welcome place to rest our weary limbs and prepare for the last two days.

2010-03-03T00:25:00.000-08:00

Day Two: Sedge Fen Baptist Church to Brandon.
The weather once again was sunny after a frosty night. As we left Sedge Fen US fighter planes screeched across the sky, first one then another and then occasionally in twos or threes. We were reminded of how close we were to Lakenheath and Mildenhall, and reminded of the realites of the world. After several miles of walking we entered the more tranquil world of sedge and marshland, across a railway line and onto the edge of Lakenheath RSPB reserve. The area was sedge and expanded water due to recent rain. As we walked along a raised bank we were treated to the sight of the bird life, and now the more attractive sounds of these beautiful species for a time replaced the sound of planes. A Cormorant perched on a bare branch, a Barn Owl surprised us as it left it's secluded tree to take to flight, a little further and two Cranes took to clumsy then elegant flight from the heart of their reedy hide, and all the while the sound of Coots and the sight of Swans delighted us while Marsh Harriers flew overhead.

After a stop for lunch we met a lady passing by who's sister, now in Canada, had done her VSO in Uganda, what a small world.

The afternoon saw us leave the wonders of the nature reserve and head towards Brandon. The watery landscape was replaced by Breckland as a group of tiring ramblers followed a path through some the trees. Three full grown deers ran across the field to give us a brief glimpse of their athleticism as our legs became rather heavy.

Eventually Brandon Church came into view and what we thought was an shorter day's walking turned out to feel at least twice that distance.

Our thanks must go to Derek and Naomi especially who were our patient back up team, having to wait for us as we enjoyed the scenery. Jeremy, Alan, Martin and yours truly were glad of the comfort of the "Brandon Otel" and a good night's sleep.

2010-03-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

How to Give to the School We're Building in Uganda.
Radio Norfolk and Radio Cambridgeshire both asked how people can give for the buiding of this school in Uganda. Send a cheque marked 'Walk for Uganda' and make it payable to 'St Thomas a Becket PCC.' The money is not for the Church but is being handled by the Church so that we can get Gift Aid Relief. I can assure you that every penny given will get to where it is needed in Uganda.

Thank you for your interest.

Canon Richard Darmody

2010-03-01T08:14:00.000-08:00

The Walk: Day One. With nervous excitement about fifteen of us met outside Ely Cathedral for the send off on day one of our walk from Ely to Carrow Road, Norwich, a trip of 70 miles. The day was such a contrast to yesterday, weather-wise. The pouring rain had ceased and the morning broke crisp but clear. It was the first sunshine for many days. It couldn't have been better.

I did a live interview with Radio Cambridgeshire on my mobile phone. Then we gathered at the west door of the Cathedral for a short service. We sang a verse of Cwm Rhondda on this St David's day and then Bishop David led prayers. We stopped for a photo-shoot and then set off. The Bishop, son Daniel and Granddaughter Eden saw us to the edge of Ely. June and Hannah Reed came a little further, then the rest of us set off along the river to Prickwillow. Swans and geese swam beside us. Our path was muddy but the sun was now warm and cheering. How liberating it felt on a Monday morning to be in the bracing air, in good company and walking for a good cause.

We followed the Hereward Way to Prickwillow, past the old pumping house, now a museum, and paused for a snack. Before long we were making our way along the bank to Shippea Hill. Our vantage point from the bank opened up a vista across the flat fields of the fenland, pitch black and fertile against an enormous sky. Suddenly my mobile phone rang, it was Radio Norfolk asking to do an interview. It felt a surreal request in the middle of this remote fenland landscape.

Shippea Hill Station Car Park was our place for a welcome lunch supplied by Jim and June, our back up team. The station is still operative and trains whisked past en route to Cambridge or the Midlands.

It was a relativley short afternoon's walk, following the contour of the railway line to Sedge Fen Baptist Church. Our first day had come to an end, twelve miles had been accomplished and all felt a warm satisfaction, and the odd twinge here and there.

2010-02-24T14:34:00.000-08:00

In a few days the walk will begin. It seems impossible that a mad idea in October has produced this reality. Not only so but we now have at least 15 people doing parts of the walk; four of us walking the whole way to Norwich. We have a Bishop and a famous TV Chef on board. We have people providing back up, taking shifts ferrying people to pick up points, bringing us food and generally being on stand by. We have old friends participating in an activity after not meeeting until recently for nearly forty years. We have new friendships forming. I wonder how these might be tested over the course of the week?

Day one will see us setting off from the historic Ely Cathedral towards Farthing Drove; 12.1 miles. We will be ferried home the first night. Day Two; back to Farthing Drove and head for Brandon where we will stay the night at a B&B. Day Three we will cross Thetford Forest and end up at Larling and stay at The Angel Pub. Day Four we will make for Wymondham before setting out for Norwich on day five. We will stay at the Annesley Hotel on Friday night. We are eating at the Annesley with some friends and family. We will all walk to Carrow Road for our date with Delia at 12.15pm.

Work has been so hectic of late that preparation has gone out of the window, but sights have been set and there's now no turning back. "Listen to this " said June as she read me an article tonight "there are these blokes in their 50s walking 900 miles for charity! Let's not go there! (Yet?).

2010-02-10T13:54:00.000-08:00

Encouragement must be the operative word. Tonight June and I visited Ramsey Scouts. They based their Global Awareness Badge on our work with Uganda. The young people found out about the practical care done within the North Kigezi Diocese. Then they held a cake stall at St Thomas a Becket Church and earned £70.70 for our Uganda Fund. We were able to attend their group meeting and receive the cheque and present their badges after showing pictures of the school project in Uganda.

Another encouragement today was a phone call from the Bishop of Norwich's Office. I wrote to him as a matter of courtesy to say I would be walking for Uganda within his Diocese in March. He sent his best wishes and promised to send a small cheque as a token of his support. This is a kind response and it lifts the spirits.

On another note, we were very saddened to hear today about the premature death of a dear friend in Uganda John Muhumuza who is the Diocesan Secretary of the North Kigezi Diocese. The last time we saw John he had a shining, smiling face. We were looking forward to seeing him in August, it is hard to realize he won't be there. Our love and prayers are for his wife, Jolly, and their children. "Forever with the Lord."

2010-02-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

The first breath of Spring. June and I walked to Upwood today. What a contrast to a couple of weeks ago when we battled the elements and felt the cold as we walked. Today it must have been about eight degrees, the sun shone and the gentle breeze was a promise of spring. Of course next week might prove me a liar. We paused for a light pub lunch before the return journey.

This week there has been a sense of momentum. There was a meeting earlier in the week with members of the PCC to discuss how money raised already should be given to Uganda. We took advice from a Bishop who has had dealings with Uganda. We felt it important to raise funds independent of sponsorship money to send someone to Uganda to visit the school site, to discuss plans with the people on the ground and to find out first hand the time schedule. We will then release money in stages as schedules are met.

There has also been a lot of good will shown by members of the public who are willing to give their financial support. Alan Howard is also proposing a route to Norwich which looks very sensible and manageable. The first day's walk of 12.1 miles to Farthing Drove is the farthest, the other days are in the region of 11 miles. This will be an encouragement not least to those who can walk with us for a day or even two.

I have just noticed that Captain David Waters our Diocesan Youth Officer has signed up as a follower. It's great to have you on board David!

2010-01-29T14:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Val Robson and Jim Hewison as followers. Val has very kindly given the walk some generous space on the Diocese of Ely's News Website and our piece has gone out live this week. Jim is a valued member of St Thomas a Becket Church and a former Church Warden.

This has been an exciting week as Delia Smith has come good and agreed to welcome the walkers at Carrow Road on 6th March. There has also been a sense that we are entering the final phase of preparation. Jeremy Summerell (Ramsey) and Alan Howard (Norwich) who as yet have never met but are walking together, have volunteered to work on the exact route from different ends and look into where we can stay en route. If I had been a details man all this would have been sorted out months ago. The good thing is that we are a team with different gifts and we will each play our respective part. I can think of nothing worse than someone like me giving the team a briefing with no space for anybody else to participate. Like the Church we can be a body with different functioning parts but working for the common good.

I went to the gym this morning to review my programme,. The instructor increased the exercises with more of an emphasis on endurance. The bad news is someone said "why are you doing this for Uganda, isn't it one of the richest countries in Africa?" The answer is a resounding no, it's extremely poor. Once I told him about the low average life expectancy, the plight of the orphans, the prevalence of HIV/Aids, malaria, breathing related illnesses to name but a few, he got my point. This is not even to mention the growth of child sacrifice, corruption and some very basic schools. We need to get the message out there that the poor are indeed with us.

2010-01-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

It was typical Fenland. The day was grey and cold. There was a mist hanging in the air, the damp was penetrating. The black soil stretched to the flat horizon and we were off on our first reconnoitre. Jeremy Summerell and I walked from Ely to find our way along our first stretch of the Hereward Way in preparation for the real thing on 1st March. With a good map in hand and plenty of warm clothes we walked to the Ely Marina and discovered the track along the river in the direction of Queen Adelaide. The pathway was wet and muddy making the going sticky. Once we reached the old Sugar Beet factory we crossed a rather flimsy looking bridge and onto another section of the Way. This leg brought home the fenness of where we were. There was a hint of madness about tramping along a deserted black field. The sight of llamas running in the distance seemed to confirm it,an apparition or what?

Later in this black wilderness the heaviness of the soil on our boots made progress slow as we searched for another bridge across a drain. Well hidden and even more flimsy than the last bridge, some strange little red structure led us across and onto the other side. After a short while we arrived in Prickwillow where we had parked the second car. Why does a cheese sandwich and a hot cup of coffee taste so wonderful after a trek in the cold and damp? The packet of salt and vinegar crisps might have been off a platter from the Savoy.

Much of the rest of the trip was completed in the car as we traced the route for our first day's walk. Shippea Hill and Sedge Fen, only 30 miles from home, were as strange as if we had been in the American Mid-West. We arrived in Lakenheath, a strangely small town for a home for the military might of the USA. It was hard to realise that the strike on Libya in the 80s was launched from here, and the security of the western world is tied up with this little place.

2010-01-22T05:38:00.000-08:00

Delia says yes! I was very excited yesterday to get an email from Delia Smith's PA to say Delia will meet us at Carrow Road on Saturday 6th March. I was asked to ring today to talk through the details for that meeting. Not only has Delia agreed to be photographed with us, she will provide a Norwich City Club photographer and she has invited us to have a meal in the Gunn Club and provided four free tickets for the match, Norwich versus Yeovil.

It seems a long way since those notes back in October when I mused in my first blog about getting Delia Smith on board! Her involvement raises the profile and I'm hoping it will unlock the door for further publicity. However, I want to record my gratitude for her generosity. I am also grateful to Lord Mawhinney, Chairman of the Football League, for helping to obtain Delia's support. A great deal of her time has been spent making a series for the BBC 'Delia through the Decades' so without his influence I don't think we would have succeeded.

Of course, the terrible situation in Haiti must be uppermost in our minds at the moment. However, when the emergency there is over and the TV cameras have gone home there will still be the need for hospitals and schools to be built. This encourages me to think that the ordinary work of helping local communities continues to have high priority.

2010-01-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

We have already been able to send (electronically) ten thousand pounds for the Bishop's School in Uganda. We are able to verify that the money has arrived at Barclay's Bank in Kampala. I have spoken by phone to Bishop Edward Muhima to notify him that the money has been sent. He lives seven hours drive away from the bank and so his visits there can only be occasional. This money is tied to providing much needed equipment for the school.

We are now ready to send twenty thousand pounds to the same bank in Kampala. This money will enable the dormitory of the school to be built. Our Church Warden in Ramsey, Jo Latter, has volunteered to travel to Uganda after 12th February at his own expense, Jo is a retired Solicitor. He will visit the Bishop, the school and get an update about how work on the school is progressing. Then in August a party of six, incuding me, will again visit the school and get another update. We are expecting building materials to be brought from Kenya and Kampala. I understand that as long as the money is there materials should not be too long getting to the site.

The new target is fifty thousand pounds, an amount which can provide significant help to the school and the pupils. Sponsor forms are now printed and it will be possible to Gift Aid any gifts. As several people are now walking with me to Norwich it is hoped that a generous sum will be collected.

2010-01-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

Today we got our first publicity in a newspaper. The Hunts Post carried a piece under the Community heading. It was a good photograph in colour of myself and June wearing 'Walk for Uganda' tee-shirts leading a conga with Sharon Pollard, Martin Muir and Jeremy Summerell following on. Jeremy was wearing his Norwich City scarf.St Thomas a Becket Church building was in the background. The article by Angela Singer was well written. She mentioned the purpose of the walk but included salient information about those of us going to Uganda in the summer, the fact that June and myself had met the Ugandan President in London and that our local MP Shailesh Vara was giving us his support. I was also pleased that my old mate Alan Howard was mentioned in the article even though he couldn't be in the photograph. Alan, a Norfolk business man, is coming to Uganda with us, and is walking the Ely to Norwich route in March.

The fact that it's the new year and our walk is out there in the public domain means that we are getting our sponsorship forms out. Each person walking will have their own forms to use so we can get wide spread support. I know, for instance, that David Stokes who is a farmer and walking part of the route will get support from the farming community. If anyone else wants to walk even a short way, as Tom Palmer is doing (Tom is in his seventies) please get in touch with me.

It's great to welcome Sharon Palmer as a a follower (it would be good if others too clicked on to become a follower of the blog). I am also grateful to Bishop David Thomson for giving us some further mention in his own blog.

2010-01-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

I read in the newspaper today about a prospective MP who decided to walk through the communities of his constituency. He said it gave him a better sense of what those towns and villages were really like. Perhaps I should do the same in my three parishes!

Is there a spiritual something about walking? It requires a slowing down, it provides space, time to observe, to think, pray if we pray or simply to meditate. We need n't think that the world without cars, trains and spacecraft is somehow more spiritual than our own, although it is certainly greener. Yet there is something counter cultural about walking when we walk for a purpose. It doesn't necessarily make the walker a better person, but the combination of slowing our world down and having a worthy aim can be enriching. At one level it gives us time for the people we meet in a world where there is little meaningful encounter. At another level it is an apparently gentle activity which can galvanize and produce companions in a cause. Think of Ghandi walking through India or Martin Luther-King at Selma.

In my own case, as well as raising money for needy children, giving travelling companions and better fitness this exercise has had a mysterious influence on my inner self.

2010-01-01T07:14:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone. It was good for me to get out for a gentle walk today after the relative inactivity of the past few days. I say relative because I have been to the gym twice since Christmas and I had four sevices the Sunday after Christmas. Yet today felt like a new start in a year when I hope our walk to Carrow Road might raise 50 thousand pounds.

It was lovely taking a solitary walk in the direction of Ramsey Marina which is so tucked away and surprising with its Narrow Boats nestling amongst the banks surrounded by acres of flat fen farmland. The day was very cold (-0.5) but the sun was shining from a clear ice blue sky. I had plenty to think about as I walked. I was reminded again of Bishop Cottrell's words about the work I do not being conducive to frenetic activity and about the dangers of trying to dance to everyone's tune in the interests of popularity. This job requires its leaders to be a still centre in a frantic world. I suspect that excellent advice might apply to lots of other people too from very different walks of life. So I sat on a bench and watched a young swan swim beside the boats. One boat with smoke rising from its funnel was called 'ItsGoodEnoughForMe.' That said it all, how the simple can be the most satisfying. I sat wondering what had brought this boat owner to live in such an isolated Fenland refuge.

There is a sense that with the dawning of 2010 comes some serious walking, reconnoitre-ing and hard graft as the 1st March doesn't now seem quite so far away!

2009-12-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

There have been two large gifts for building this school in Uganda. When I first thought about doing the walk I announced it out of desperation. I had told Bishop Edward that I would support the school. However,there was no money forthcoming, there was a recession and little interest. I decided to walk to Carrow Road as a daft gesture to raise what I hoped might be a couple of thousand pounds. When others said they would join me, my hopes were raised. Then I had an anonymous offer of ten thousand pounds although the condition was that the money should buy needed equipment for the Ugandan School rather than be used for building purposes. So I raised the bar and decided I would go for twenty thousand. Last week a Church said it would provide twenty thousand to build accomodation for the school children. I have been bowled over by these acts of generosity and thank God for them. I was speaking to a journalist from the Hunts Post who said, you should aim now for fifty thousand!

I don't want these big gifts to take the spotlight away from all those people who want to raise money and who can only give the odd coin or so-let's not forget what Jesus said about the widow's mite, "she gave eveything she had." All efforts are welcome. Neither should the big gifts take away from the innocence of what we are doing. Furthermore even 50 thousand would be a tiny drop in an enormous ocean of poverty and need. No, we now have the opportunity of doing something really significant, perhaps by being able to pay for more teachers etc. Besides who knows where this will all end, and what people's generosity will achieve.

There was a photographer waiting at 9am on Monday morning to take a picture for the local paper of those of us going to Uganda. She had us line up in a Conga!

2009-12-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

So much effort is going towards helping Uganda. Joan sent twenty pounds from N Ireland, some local scouts have raised over seventy pounds by holding a cake stall, local Guides wanted the proceeds from their Carol Service to help The Bishop's School,people have promised sponsorship money for the walk in March etc. There has also been a substantial amount given anonymously to provide equipment for The Bishop's School. Through local contacts we have asked the Headteacher in Uganda to tell us what equipment is needed and he has sent a list. He is trying to equip a science lab and all the items he asked for are by our standards very basic, telling us that he is starting from scratch. We understand that the equipment can be bought in Uganda, presumably from Kampala. I am becoming more hopeful that we can raise twenty thousand to build the dormitory for The Bishop's School. When Canon Gershom was with us recently he told us why the dormitory is necessary. At present the children are being housed in a nearby village, which is not always the safest option. He spoke of abuses against children and in extreme cases child sacrifice posing a threat to their safety. The latter sounds unbelieveable in this age, but I have it on the best authority that it does happen in Uganda.

We realise that in the grand scheme the best we can do is only a drop in a mighty ocean. To help Africa, fresh initiatives at the highest governmental and international levels are required. That doesn't mean we should do nothing; every little helps make life more bearable. "Cast your bread upon the water and it will return after many days."

2009-12-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

"Will you write more? I'm disappointed when you haven't written up your blog". I was staggered to get that message today from two people who live in Northern Ireland. The fact is I had not written for a while because I didn't think there was anybody out there reading it on a regular basis. But I will write now, even if it's only for two people in Northern Ireland! If there is anybody else out there let me know, or join the followers by clicking on to that logo. I don't need to be psychic to know that there is a horse lover out there who hasn't signed up be being a follower yet, and it isn't Mary King!

So where are we now? Well as I write Norwich have shot up to third in the league. What's more my leg muscles are getting well developed for this walk on 1st March. My trainer at the gym has increased endurance training on the treadmill. I had complained that it was getting too manageable, now I'm like one of those cartoon figures with legs moving fast and sweat pouring off me. But it feels much more challenging.

The trip to Uganda in August is now booked. At present there are six of us paid up and ready to go. June and I will be preaching at a Convention. Some will be helping Watsan which stands for water and sanitation. I'm not sure what they will be doing, but it will be something practical. Sharon is a Funeral Director who also wants to find out how the Ugandan people bury their dead. Martin works in a hospital here and so will team up with the Kisiizi Hospital. Jeremy used to be a headteacher so will be able to give us good advice about our school work. Alan, an old school mate, is a Director of his own business but is willing to get his hands dirty. I think people's hearts are being touched by this trip. When we saw Canon Gershom's pictures of the school we want to support, we were all moved by what we saw, and by the lack of progress on the dorm. It's foundations were dug so long ago that grass has grown over them. What a challenge!

2009-11-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

What have the Queen and an African vicar got in common? The answer? I met them both on the same day. Naturally, I slightly exaggerate. I met the African, I saw the Queen. The Queen and Prince Philip visited Ely Cathedral for the 900th celebration of the Ely Diocese. It was a great occasion.(For me another Forrest Gump moment!). I sat opposite them in the service, with lots of others. The African vicar, Gershom Muhanga, was staying with us. I'm aware that all this can seem an exercise in name dropping. The point is the amazing contrast between these two worlds and being there to witness them both; just like Forrest. There was the pomp, the protocol,the fleeting glance of royalty and the sense, "I was there." But to be there to encounter the Ugandan man was more amazing. A man who took a photograph of me lighting a domestic fire, who had never seen a piece of coal, who had no choice but to live a simple life. Here on a scholarship, he arrived at our house with one coat which had been given, a rolled umbrella we had bought him and a small brief case which was borrowed. He talked to our people about the suffering of the orphans, the terrible conditions of Rwandan Refugees in Mbarara and our need to be grateful for all we have in this country. When asked what he liked about England he said "everything,you should be grateful for everything." Of course someone has to buy the coat and the umbrella to give, but I learned from him that life can be simple and uncomplicated; we need so little to live. When I explained to him as I left for the Cathedral the complex arrangements he asked "are such people free?"

2009-11-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about Mr Miagy. As I raked leaves I remembered his words to Daniel "wax on wax off." The Karate Kid was essential viewing in those halcyon days of the 80s when our boys were young. Watching it with the children was a great excuse for those of us who were 30 something. There is that part in the film where Daniel gets to wax the car and paint the fence, until he flipped and quit. Finally, the truth was revealed by the master. The strokes of the paint brush and the circular movements of polishing were the precise movements for karate. So what about my leaf raking? I should have been on my next long walk, but the thousands of leaves on the lawn had to be dealt with and this kept me at home. "Walk on, walk on," could I hear the rake on the leaves saying that? Perhaps not. Then the master revealed a truth, or at least the decorater told me of some advice on the radio that very morning. "You don't need to rake, no, put the lawn mower over them, make mulch and let the worms do the rest!" It came like a moment of enlightenment, not to mention relief!

Our garden is about an acre; an acre covered in leaves! It's a size of garden dating from the days when vicars were something and had a gardener! Pushing the mower over the acre, guiding it across the thick layers of fallen leaves, putting one foot in front of the other, I didn't need Mr Miyage to make the point!

2009-11-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was told that the Traditional Shotokan Karate Club in Ramsey have decided to support our walk to Norwich for the children in Uganda. I am very grateful to Graham Harding their instructor for his backing and that of his young students. Graham is himself something of an adventurer who took a parachute dive on his 60th birthday. I hope there will be other individuals and groups who might follow the lead of this club. There is certainly a lot of good will.

Meanwhile we have been shown a DVD of the school in Uganda for which the money is being raised. Andrew Cooper a theology student from Ridley Hall visited it in the summer and has brought the pictures back. It shows a school in the same complex as a church. The school is like most of the school buildings in Uganda; very poor by our standards. The dorm has been marked out but awaiting the finances to start building. The class rooms that have been erected are shell like and rough looking. There is the need for even the basic equipment and yet more than 200 students are already attending school. The challenge is great.

2009-11-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

"What route will you be taking?" This is a question I've been asked several times,and I haven't had a very accurate answer. Every time we go to Norwich we drive, making our way across Fenland roads until we get to the A11. But walking the 60 or so miles to Norwich requires a very different route. The main roads are clearly too busy and dangerous for walkers. In spite of looking at the map time and again I wasn't sure how to find a reasonably direct way from Ely over the flat Fen landscape into Norfolk. A more detailed map has revealed the Hereward Way which goes from Ely Marina to places like Prickwillow, Shippea Hill and on towards Mildenhall. This path will then take us onto the Breckland to Brandon and through Thetford Forest all the way to Watton in Norfolk. It looks a winding way but it is a relief to know it is there. I've no idea yet how passable some of these pathways might be. "Why not get in touch with a Rambling Society?" It's so obvious isn't it? So that is my next job. June and I also intend to start walking parts of the route we will follow in March.

Again I want to mention the remarkable adventure it is to meet and get advice from such different types of people in the pursuit of this goal. It has brought together the most unlikely combinations all with their own insights, humour and practical sense- how colourful and textured this life becomes by just pursuing, listening and taking some moderate risks.

2009-11-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

The purpose of this blog is to raise awareness of the needs of children in South West Uganda and to do a sponsored walk to Carrow Road to help The Bishop's School there (not a Church school) to build a dorm and other buildings and buy equipment. It is an investment in the future of these children in a very poor part of the world.

Last night I spoke by phone again with Bishop Edward in Uganda. A team of us will be going in August 2010. Last night's conversation meant we can arrange our trip from the 12th to 25th August. With the help of a local travel consultant we can now arrange our flights. So far five or six of us will be going. During that time we can visit the school and see the needs first hand. Some of the team will do practical work, including work at the Kisiizi Hospital. June and I will be taking services in the villages and preaching at a Convention during week two. However, it is unthinkable to go to such a poor part of the world empty hand.

Today June and I did our second 10 mile walk this time in the Wandlebury area of Cambridge. What a change in a week. The Beech trees especially looked beautiful as their leaves changed colour. We followed the Roman road and thought about the long history of it, beginning with the local garrison building it. We came back through Cambridge and bought some maps to try and find a route across the Fen to Norfolk.

2009-11-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

I have been quiet for a few days but plenty has been going on behind the scenes. I wrote a piece for the Parish magazine about the walk to Norwich and as I have gone around the town several people have mentioned it to me. I have also some indication that there is now a seriousness about raising a significant amount of money for The Bishop's School in South West Uganda, to help further the children's education and well being. This morning I used Cheapest Calls to speak with Bishop Edward Muhima, Bishop of North Kigezi Diocese where the school is situated, who in turn is talking to the Headteacher about what might be achieved. It is thrilling to think of what might be accomplished because of the goodwill of people in this area.

I want to welcome Kathy-Ann and Ellen to the list of followers. I am delighted too to get the support from our lovely granddaughter Eden Grace. It was great to have a response from an old school mate, John Robinson (Robbo) who is now living in France. Thanks John for your words of support. We spent many happy hours together standing behind the goal at the Barclay End when we were kids. I remember vividly standing there during the kick-in before a match when Ron Davies shot the ball which went just over our heads and knocked a woman out who was standing immediately behind us. There's one piece of trivia (though not trivial to her)which has now been rescued from the obscurity of the universe!

I'm sure once the walk begins (on March 1st) it will not just be fitness that keeps me going, but the prospect of helping African children and the memories shared with so many old friends.

2009-10-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Monday 1st March at 9am is a possible date for the walk for Uganda to leave Ely Cathedral for Norwich City Football Club. It is estimated that there will be a 15 mile walk each day, ending at Carrow Road on Saturday when Norwich play Yeovil. If anybody out there would like to join in for part of the course, the whole course or only for a mile you will be most welcome. Please contact me at darmodyrichard@hotmail.com

Several people have asked me about sponsoring the walk. Do let me know if you want to do that and I will give you some details. I am also planning a more accesible way for people to give. There are no overheads as far as our work is concerned. Our own trip to Uganda in August is self financed. The money given will go to The Bishop's School (in spite of the name it is not a Church school). As we will be on the spot in the summer we will be in a position to ensure the best use is made of what money is given. There will be accountability for what is done with the finances.

Anyone who has been to certain parts of Africa will know that often it is the Church which has to act as a social service. It is not necessarily ideal but it is the reality and without it many people of all ages would be poorer.

2009-10-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

We've gone international, it's official! Today I had a message from Marina Harris from the beautiful island of Tobago saying she is following the blog and that folk in Tobago are supporting the walk! Alright, she is a relative! But it's the way you tell them isn't it? Just think what a headline it would make in our local rag 'Trinidad and Tobago Join the Pilgrimage to Carrow Road.' There is a serious side to all this, but it is an agreeable seriousness. One of the lessons I have learned is that a good cause becomes a kind of dance, a bit like the Conga, which is a Latin American dance with African origins. It is such an infectious dance with all kinds of people joining on the end of the line. Well,thinking about some smiling, poor children in Uganda and adding a daft idea from a vicar and diverse people join in the serious fun. All sorts are united in the dance and age and geographical distance become irrelevant. Lord Mahinney, the Chairman of the Football League has also been good enough to give me some practical help. As a committed Christian he has been a marvellous support to me in my ministry over the last 10 years, and I welcome his help with preparations for the walk. David Armes too has been in touch. As with Alan Howard, David went to infant and junior school with me and we have met up again after many years. David taught me to tie my shoe laces. What a significant role that one act has played in my life! So, what a dance we have begun!

June and I put more time in at the gym today and were amazed that we weren't stiff and sore after yesterday's walk. What will happen next?

2009-10-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

A heavy cold during my last week's holiday of the year-typical. Today I was sufficiently recovered to do a day's training. Remember, all this exercise is new countryside for me. When did I last do a serious piece of walking? Probably when I was 15, doing Fell Walking with a school group in the Lake District. So 10 miles walking around Grafham Water at one go was a big deal for me. My wife, June, joined me and off we went. For the end of October it was incredibly mild, with the temperature at 16 C. I can see why some people rave about this walking business. The resevoir was shimmering in the sun light while several boats bobbed in the water as fisherman angled for Trout. We walked in and out of nature trails, enjoyed swans preening themselves, grebe's diving, herons taking off- and all for a two pounds parking fee! We surprised ourselves that we could manage the walk with some degree of competence. Our sandwiches and drink tasted divine; such simple pleasures. After completing the course around the lake we sat on a blanket with a hot drink and a last sandwich (kept for this final act of triumph) and surveyed our minor victory!

The Bishop of Ely's Publicity Officer has given me some excellent guidance about raising public awareness. I have spoken by phone to one of Norwich City's Chaplains, Reverend Arthur Bowles, who played football with my Dad after the war, and also did my Dad's funeral. It was good to get his moral support and it meant a lot. What a long way all this is from Africa, yet as we walked it seemed so near.

2009-10-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

'Do starving Africans a favour.Don't feed them.' This rather startling headline was featured in The Times today. The point was that feeding starving people in the short term has led to long term problems across Africa. While we are feeding them the underlying problems are not being addressed. Well, it is easier said than done. When we see pictures of what is usually described as a famine of Biblical proportions, it takes a very hard nosed person not to want to help. At the same time the point of the article is still worth considering. The punch line is that our support should target education. It is a well educated Africa which will have long term benefits. This point encouraged me because in a small way the walk is designed to raise serious money for one African school. As a Christian who takes the Bible seriously my conviction is that education itself may not solve the problem. Corruption for example requires a change of heart and not just of mind.

There has been hunger in parts of Uganda recently. However,in the south west where we are visiting there is not a shortage of food. In fact the land is very fertile. It is the poor infrastructure (roads are appalling), the absence of industry and generally a lack of investment which causes poverty, to say nothing of the need of a shift in mentality, for example in a more productive use of "waste". The prevalence of malaria, HIV/Aids, breathing related ilnesses and their attendant tragedies add to suffering, with children bearing much of the brunt.

What we are trying to do is a drop in a huge ocean, and there are lots of other drops like ours. Nevertheless I think targeting education may not be dramatic enough to grab headlines but it is sound.

2009-10-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

There has been high emotion today. My Parish work goes on as always with the highs and lows of pastoral life. In the few gaps I have had today I have been moved by some emails about the walk. Alan Howard's response to this blog brought some tears to my eyes. Alan and I were at Bull Close School Infants and St Augustine's Junior School together. We met again recently after more than 30 years. Alan is Managing Director of Aspect Roofing in Norwich. He wrote:
"I seem to recall that many, many years ago, two snot nosed lads clutching a packet of chocolate biscuits, queued 3 hours to be first through the turnstyles to see Norwich play Stoke City. At the time Stoke had the one and only Stanley Matthews on the wing and a star studded team. Norwich beat them 5 or 6 nil and Ron Ashman played a blinder. On that emotional basis alone, I would consider it a privilege to join you for the whole pilrimage."

My MP Shailesh Vara has offered some practical support. He left Uganda in the 1970s with his family when Idi Amin expelled many Ugandan Asians from the country and in so doing crippled that country's economy from which it has never recovered. Mr Vara has kindly contacted media representatives on my behalf with the hope that the publicity will help raise funds for the school in Uganda which started all this off.

2009-10-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

Today's been a quiet day walk-wise after yesterday's heady news. I must be patient about getting publicity going. What is more, we mustn't peak too soon. It is also important to have a pause to help me answer the question, why am I doing this? Is it for the Ugandan children or is it for me?

At the Becket's Lunch for seniors a number of people showed an interest. Pat said we ought to make the walk a theme for the Lent Frugal Lunches after Christmas, and to give the proceeds to the cause. There was also a suggestion that we might contact the local schools to get them on board-it's becoming quite a community effort! The idea of a lone walker is giving way to team effort. My wife June is willing to head up some back up for the walk. Simon advised me about some of the available websites, about footwear and diet. Daniel has helped me with IT advice, I'm grateful Andrew has signed up as a follower today. I'm incredibly grateful to my wife and three lads for their support.

It all started with thinking outside the usual, having a cause and going for it. Why are we often hampered by our own fears of looking foolish? Striking out truly enriches life!

2009-10-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

Cometh the day cometh the opportunity. I have received a good bit of encouragement today, to put it mildly. First the Bishop of Huntingdon The Right Reverend Dr David Thomson sent me a message of support. He had seen my blog and wrote to say he would be willing to wave me off from the Cathedral the day of the walk, and even walk to the Ely boundary. Not only that, he has included a piece about the cause on his own, to use his words, "blogroll." This gave me such a lift. Next I heard that the Cambridge News was interested in covering the story and taking some pictures. Then when I was doing my lunchtime work-out at the gym the instructor promised to include a piece with a photo in the Impressions Magazine. On top of that a friend from Church has offered to walk all the way with me to Carrow Road as a walking companion. Is this what those Calendar Girls felt like? No,definitely not, I'm not doing that!!
I watched Norwich on the tele lose 2-1 to Leeds last night. Norwich were awesome in the first half but lost in extra time as a result of an unfortunate error. I thought I'd let Delia get over it before writing, so tonight's the night. On the ball city!

2009-10-19T04:54:00.000-07:00

"Did Gump walk or run across America?" A moments doubt told me to text my son Simon. He "just felt like runnin" came the answer. Oh dear, that's the problem with blogs isn't it? I knew I should have used Pilgrim's Progress! Anyway this Gump will walk, that's for sure!

I did something unusual for me. I had to be in Peterborough so I took half an hour to walk. For some no big deal, but not for this workaholic. What a reward. The October sun shone benignly. I strolled around a boating lake and took time to watch the swans, Canada Geese and seagulls. Suddenly a heron swept down gracefully and landed on the path in front of me. When it saw me approach it started to walk like Max Wall. And those strangers with dogs,on bikes and even the man carrying a canoe actually spoke, as though it were the most natural thing to do, rather than look at the ground. Is this a sub-culture, a subversive group in the hectic twenty first century that only half an hour of walking has uncovered?

My only trouble was that I was wearing shoes for a towny and trousers which tickled my right knee, driving me mad. There's a lesson for the big walk; suitable clothing!

I must pluck up courage and write to Delia tonight. Her moral support would be great for the cause.

Gump

2009-10-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

Forrest Gump was always in the headlines without understanding their significance. He walked too, all the way across the States; he just kept walking. People walked with him. There is something about walking which grabs people's imagination. I announced it in church today, "I shall be walking to the sacred turf of Carrow Road." People laughed. I felt it was the laugh of support. A good sport offered to walk with me. Will there be others? Is this the beginning of a Gump walk? Will I grow a beard and speak wisdom en route? Will this wisdom become a bumper sticker?

Already I can see the walk is life changing. It means practice, training and planning. It needs time, other things have to make way, work has to stop. The Bishop of Reading tried to give busy commuters an egg timer at the local railway station to get them to stop for a minute a day. Walking practice will take more than a minute a day. As a vicar I should know the value of space, time off, exercise and sharing the joy of it with others. But not wanting to stop work in case the world stops spinning is a disease I know all about. So, keep walking Forrest!

Day 2,

2009-10-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

After the party last night, it was a short night's sleep. My first thought in the morning...what have I done? Walk? Norwich? Delia?

I drove to Ely Cathedral for a 9.30am meeting followed by a service at 11.15am. The drive across the Fen on this bright morning in October did me good. It gave me time to think. I saw in my mind those children in Uganda. The boys in bare feet kicking a football made with plastic bags tied with string or elastic bands. The little lad passing our window early morning with a yellow gerry-can on his head to get water for the family before school. The 15 year old girl who is head of her family because her parents and grandparents are all dead due to HIV/Aids. The shack of a school building with earth floors, no electric light, the need of basics like pencils and paper. Isn't it worth a bit of humiliation, a few jokes about Delia's cooking!

After a full day I spent 45 minutes at the gym, and went for it with fresh enthusiasm. I told the instructor about the blog. I appreciate my son Daniel encouraging me to write. I hope it pays off!

Day 1 , My Decision to Walk!

2009-10-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

This morning the idea was hatched. For ages I'd been toying with the thought. Today's appointment with my gym instructor clinched it. I heard myself say I was planning (perhaps a bit strong!) to walk for the children we'd met in Uganda. As I spoke, the idea started to firm up, in fact I was making it up as I went along , but the imaginings were taking on real forms . I was going to walk from Ely Cathedral, where I am an Honorary Canon to Carrow Road, the home of Norwich City FC (I'm a long suffering fan). All this to raise some money to help build a schoool in South west Uganda.

The fact is that there is so much competition for money raising and all for worthy causes. You have to do somethng a bit unusual to earn your sponsorship!

Before the day was out, and with no little thanks to conversations at my sons engagement party, new ideas emerged. What about asking Delia to meet you? Can't the Bishop wave you off? Well, we'll see. The main thing is to keep the children in focus; their needs and their education.