Fantastic Visit to Swansea City.

Huge thanks and congratulations to Carolyn Williams for getting her hat-trick! First Cardiff City, then Cowbridge and finally Swansea City. We were met at the ground by two lovely Swans’ employees and presented a signed shirt pitchside. It was also a great opportunity to explain to both the Swansea City ladies as well as the local newspaper the purpose of the whole journey. Hopefully they realised that the world’s 45 million refugees were worth cycling for! This stark figure Certainly keeps me going!

From the Liberty Stadium, it was a dash down to Morgans Hotel where Carolyn had arranged a recption in this prestige venue. It was a delight to talk to the GM, Christine Owen, and I was able to thank her for a raffle prize they had offered. There was a good number of Ecademists, football fans and others present including Carolyn, Simon “Web Wizard” Jones and Carolyn’s daughter and son-in-law. Thanks to all for making this such a memorable day for me and such an important milestone in the journey. 68 clubs now visited and now it’s the long, long trek to Plymouth Argyle, Torquay United and Exeter City. Wales has done The Shirt proud. Thanks, Carolyn and all who have supported you.

Rest Day

One of the things I very quickly learned on this journey is the importance of rest and I am constantly reminding myself of the tortoise and the hare story. For this reason, I try to get at least one full day every week with only minimal (say up to 10 miles) cycling. The weather gods dealt with me favourably this week and my rest day was in Swansea in the sun!

Cowbridge Football Club

…..is not the most fun I have had with my clothes on! Apparently, the Mumbles, Swansea was the wettest place in the UK today. That does not surprise me! Photos of the Swansea team playing in the sun at Norwich contrast markedly with driving rain and flash floods near their home stadium!

Great to meet an old friend, Mark Press especially when he volunteers to sponsor a day and to cycle with me for the afternoon. Mark becomes only the second person to accompany me…..but he can’t keep up. My slope is his mountain! Good to see you though, Mark!

Carolyn Williams also got me in front of Cowbridge Football Club and their Steve Day and Bob Murphy kindly donated a shirt. Thanks!

Had some good press this week from Whitley Bay and my local paper in Spain (See page 26). Enjoy!

Huge thanks to Cardiff City

I reach Wales!

Yes, I cross the border to Wales and the two clubs in the Football League Cardiff City and Swansea City both confirm visits to their new stadiums. (Huge thanks to Carolyn Williams)

I also have a GREAT sponsor for the day. Huge thanks to Mastercraft Cycles (below) for fixing bike at 30 seconds’ notice.

It was also fantastic to meet Georgina Lester in Abergavenny. Less exciting was the hostel (something out of the 70s!) and torrential rain. Georgina has been a huge supporter of the journey, a constant and consistent blogger and a great centre of influence within Ecademy

However, before I left England I had one final and very important meeting. I was welcomed by The Right Worshipful the Mayor of Hereford, Anna Toon in her chambers. She is keen to promote cycling within Hereford and beyond as well as being very sympathetic to the plight of the refugees. She had even been collecting for the Pakistan Disaster Fund that very week in a very concrete display of solidarity. She signed the shirt, I signed the visitors’ book. Seems like a fair swap! Both of us were grateful to Keith Witney for the intrdouction.

Real highlight of whole journey. Meet Keith Witney who has done an amazing job in my 20 hours in Hereford.

Firstly he took me to the Blind World Cup which was being held in Hereford and swiftly organised a commemorative shirt. It was the first time I had seen blind men playing football and a truly humbling experience it was. I saw the Colombia versus South Korea game and I was amazed and truly humbled by the quality of the football and the enthusiasm and commitment shown by the players. This really reminded me that there are so many who do not have as easy a life as I do and I am delighted that there are others who are prepared to organise an event which drew teams from all four corners of the globe.

Then, it was a huge dash to share “An Evening with Sir Trevor Brooking and Ray Clemence MBE”. That man Witney again pulled the rabbit out of the hat with two tickets for a superb evening at the Hereford Theatre.

After the event, he showed all his aces and got me a 1-2-1 with these two football legends. I explained what I was doing and why I was doing it and both immediately wished me every success and were delighted to support. Yes, Ray Clemence MBE and Sir Trevor Brooking sign The Shirt. This is a HUGE boost to the journey and I think that nothing could have stopped me cycling a few hundred miles to tell all that night. Fortunately for my little legs that was not necessary and the WWW can get the message out far faster than any Town Crier.

At the theatre, Keith also introduced me to the Mayor of Hereford who again immediately offered to assist and invited me to her chambers the next morning.

Keith, what can I say? A superb effort and if I had your level of support everywhere I went this trip would be a doddle. I am particularly grateful that you got the local press involved. Thanks, friend.

The Team

Sorry limited access to www. Will update soonest

A great start to the week!

** Two BNI meetings are confirmed for Bristol on Tuesday

** A nice email from BNI Fortress came through overnight.

** BNI Parkside (Long Eaton) are getting me a major article in the main regional newspaper.

** I had a great stay at a nice hotel with a single room, bath, drying rail for clothes and a SUPERB breakfast.

It just reminded me how lucky I was when I read:

** Iraq has 230,000 refugees

** Spain has 42% youth unemployment

** In the UK, there will be 7 applicants per place in clearing this academic year.

Yes, it definitely reminded me how lucky I am and how the refugees, the Spanish youth and the British students are all victims of a “crime”. Their crime? Being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It also reminded me to re-double my efforts to work with the UNHCR as much as I can and raise awareness however I can. That’s a personal challenge to myself for the week ahead. I am hugely fortunate I have accommodation confirmed every one of the next ten days. With “only” the physical challenge of getting from Bristol, Cheltenham, Hereford, Abergavenny, Cardiff, Swansea to worry about, it should be an “easier” week!

Looking forward to see you along the way…..or at least hearing from you.

The Premiership Starts

Yes, yesterday it was back to business in the English Premiership and there were some very interesting scores. Two to pick up on were Blackpool’s 4-0 win at Wigan which is just about as amazing a dream start as they could have fantasised about and Chelsea’s 6-0 drubbing of WBA.

In the Championship, surprise team Millwall continue to push on and heads the table with a 7-0 goal tally equalled exactly by another surprise team – Q.P.R. At the bottom, it is Proud Preston but I do not expect any of those three positions to last for too long.

Just a plug for my team – Gillingham are unbeaten in the league! That said, they are out of the Carling Cup and four points behind table-topping Torquay.

Good Luck to all.

I took a couple of hours for myself today to think through the next few weeks and the push to the “finishing line” and strolled around Bristol Centre. It’s nice when you are not fully loaded with panniers and everything. I took the opportunity to pass by Ashton Gate the historic Bristol City ground and it was duly ticked off as ground 64….. without too much ado.

Singing in the Rain

Day 87 was certainly a landmark day for the project. I had made contact with Bristol Rovers and their enthusiastic press officer Kirsty Pugh kindly invited me to the Rovers versus Yeovil game. Not only that I was to be presented to the crowd at half-time on the pitch so another 6,000 people now know about the project. The matchday announcer Nick Day made me welcome and asked me a range of questions about the refugees, the journey and my love of football. It was a privilege to be there and I hope that those who heard me will get the message out to their friends and family. Thanks Nick and thanks Kirsty.

Of course, on a personal level it was a memorable day. as I was to see my first league game in ten seasons in England as well as ground 63 out of 92. It was an exciting game with two goals in the last four minutes and just as Yeovil thought they had snatched a 1-1 draw after trailing for much of the game, up popped Rovers with a last minute winner. So a 2-1 victory for the home side sent the faithful home happy. An important win from their first home game of the season and a huge relief after 0-3 and 1-6 defeats earlier in the week.

From what I remember of the third level of English football after many years as a Gillingham fan both teams look as if they can make a realistic promotion push. Good luck to the teams and their fans. I have to say that the Yeovil fans who were standing on uncovered terracing sang the whole 90 minutes and really got behind their team. “Singing in the Rain” came to mind as the heavens opened for most of the match and although it was quite warm, it must have been quite a challenge to retain their enthusiasm. The Rovers fans also sang throughout the game ……. but they had the luxury of being undercover!