A PASSAGE OF HOPE - 3 Peaks Challenge: Day 2 - The long and winding road....

Sunday, 25 May 2008

Day 2 - The long and winding road....

Up at 07.00 hrs to pack for the next few days, as we are leaving the comfort of Stray Cat for the long and winding road to Fort William & a date with Ben Nevis. We got a flyer out of Pwllheli... so much so I was asked to explain my haste to the North Wales Constabulary. Clearly my explanation fell short of what was required and a lengthy chat ensued which culminated in a fixed penalty notice (3 points & a fine)....

Unperturbed, we pressed on and covered the 428 miles in just short of 7.5 hours... Clearly the drive was long and tedious but with Greg as company and an endless supply of dance, trance, drum & bass and the obligatory Pink Floyd we arrived tired and stiff (from yesterday's exertion - not excitement)

We left Wales in sunshine and the sun followed us all the way and we have spent a warm sunny evening in Fort William fortifying ourselves for tomorrow's climb. Ben Nevis is by far our most challenging summit and we are hoping to complete it in 7-8 hours... a good night's sleep is required, so I will sign off now.... Until tomorrow....

Tim

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Tim, there are only so many speeding tickets you can palm off so this ones definitely down to you!! Glad to hear you arrived safely and it looks like you will be in the right part of the country weather wise .... best of luck xx Carol; 26 May 2008 at 18:11

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THE CAUSE - WAT NONGON SCHOOL, MAE TAENG, CHIANG MAI, NORHTERN THAILAND

Nongon is a small village community of approx 350 homes , located 23 miles North of Chiang Mai, Thailand's 2nd largest city. Most inhabitants are engaged in farming, growing rice , vegetables and fruit. Wages are poor , ranging from 50p to 3 pounds a day, depending on the nature of the work.
Although basic healthcare is free , there is virtually no income support, so living standards are low. Education up to high school is free and compulsory. The primary school in Nongon has 60 or so pupils , girls and boys aged between 4 and 12 years .The school is poorly supported by the government, who pay the teachers salaries only.

Local well-wishers, some with better off relatives, offer financial support for food and other running costs. The local authority provides free daily milk and a rich American philanthropist subsidises the salaries of an IT and a nursery teacher, both of whom are super-numery. Parents buy books by monthly installment of 20-30 pence at a time. Those who can't afford this are helped with whatever funds are left in the school kitty.

A recent drive by concerned villagers and a retired UK citizen (my friend Malcolm) and his wife (Marilyn) have successfully raised funds to buy much needed personal computers, build a new canteen, repave the perimeter road and tile the floors on the ground floor. This work, much of which has been made possible with money donated by British citizens (and the Rotary Club of Oswestry & Borderland) , has significantly improved the conditions for the children , many of whom are keen to receive an education to enable them to better support their parents in later life.

The teachers are loyal and hardworking. In 2006 the school beat 130 other teams from Chiang Mai district in an English speaking and comprehension competition , and earned a silver award in the 2007 event, against much better funded schools.Three years ago no one spoke English in Nongon school; but with Malcolm as an unpaid volunteer they now have a 'real' English teacher....

Last year 'A Passage of Hope' raised over £8000 which enabled us to build a much needed toilet block and washing facilities for the school.

Much more remains to be done, the most pressing need being books and learning media. We are hoping that we will raise enough money to equip a Learning Resource Centre at the school.

This is where your support of the 'Passage of Hope - 3 Peaks Challenge' is so important.... Please, please, please be generous to this worthy cause.

Thank you, Tim Gray

A PASSAGE OF HOPE - 3 Peaks Challenge

Sunday, 25 May 2008

Day 2 - The long and winding road....

1 comment:

STRAY CAT

How do I donate money ?

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THE CAUSE - WAT NONGON SCHOOL, MAE TAENG, CHIANG MAI, NORHTERN THAILAND