‘Be the change you want to see in the world’ Gandhi said. Pretty obvious really when you think about it. You would draw a lot of criticism if you weren’t prepared to do things the way you thought they should be done.
Back in 2005 I sat watching Live 8, listening to Birhan Woldu, and my Dad in the background telling me how this could be the start of revolution. At that point decided it was time for my own revolution. Time to give something back. I hadn’t reached dizzying heights of wealth, but I had enough to be comfortable.
Having previously been introduced to WaterAid (Registered Charity 288701) at Glastonbury Festival, and their morally unambiguous message that everyone should have safe water, the starting position for my own personal ‘revolution’ was clear.
Satifying my impatient thirst for continuous challenges, shortly after I signed up to undertake the greatest challenge of my life to date, a trek to Everest Base Camp that would raise enough money to change the lives of 200 people.
You quickly become an event manager, a fund raiser, a negotiator and a member of the insane club overnight. Alongside juggling all these roles and undertaking a 3 month training programme you have to keep your own life going. At the back of my mind I kept telling myself, others in the world had it harder. Charity fundraisers of this nature should not be mocked, and anyone that calls them holiday, should sign themselves up immediately to learn what they are really about.
Thanks to lots of great people and a pony, we were successful. I even managed to document my journey on TravelBlog.
A year of rest later I was back pondering what to do next. Tour de France – Lycra shorts? You’ve got to be kidding. Baked Bean Bath - I Baked Beans. It a trickly one, no matter how much you know it’s not a holiday, there will always be those that believe it is, and cycling round Cuba in my own humble opinion won’t help that perception. I needed something that would stand out alongside the difficulty of Everest.
Surviving in the Arctic? That’ll do nicely.
So that’s my next challenge. In February 2009 I’m be heading into the Arctic Circle in Northern Sweden for an Arctic Survival Challenge. It going to get cold (upto -50c if you include windchill), and three of the nights of the week I’m there I’ll be in snow holes and makeshift shelters, having spent the day learning the basics of arctic survival. A few weeks ago I undertook my survival preparation course in Devon and decided bugs taste quite nice. I’m putting the final touches to my kit, I’ve started a new TravelBlog and if you could spare some change, in this time of change, you really are amazing.
Follow my progress and watch me eating bugs for breakfast on TravelBlog.
TravelBlog.Org/Bloggers/ArcticSurvivalChallenge.
Donate to WaterAid via my sponsorship website:
http://www.justgiving.com/ChangeTheWorldNow
or just drop me a line if you want to help out
