Out of the blue a month or two ago we got a notification from our BT MyDonate account that someone had set up a fundraising page for the Jo Walters Trust to run the Athens marathon. After a bit of digging it turned out to be not one, but two chaps, James Cameron-Cooper and Jimmy Philippson, who were brave enough to attempt to follow in the footsteps of Pheidippides, though hopefully not with the same end result.

James and Jimmy with the Jo Walters Trust banner in Athens

The great news is that they not only completed this very tough marathon, they did so with a fast time, and in so doing, raised over £1,000 for the Jo Walters Trust. We are hugely grateful, and are proud to share this report they sent, along with a few pictures. The Jo Walters Trust banner is rapidly becoming a very well travelled item. It should be back from Athens soon though, so if you have a good idea for a fundraising effort, let us know if you would like to add some more miles to the banner's travels!




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From James Cameron Cooper

Dear Friends & Family

Thank you for all the support and generous donations toward the fine work of the Jo Walters Trust with over a £1000 raised to date:

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/jcameroncooper

Needless to say it was an exceptional experience. Running partner, Jimmy Phillipson, had rustled up some fine customised vests, which coupled with our, coincidentally, matching footwear made for a promising outing.

Having kept the local brew to a minimum the night before we were up at 6.30 (4.30 UK time) and kindly driven to Marathon by my father.
A jovial atmosphere and an ever warming sun greeted us at the start. We were clearly going to get a tan as we ran.

To give the other 12,000 runners a head start, we were at the back in Block 7. Each of the blocks went off at 5 minute intervals, with the elite runners starting at 9am. Fortunately the timing chip in our bibs would start as we crossed the line, record split times along the course and provide a final time at the finish. Our ambition for the 26.2 miles / 42 kilometres was a time under 4 hours. Game on.

Dancing through the throng we made steady progress. Water stops came and went every 5 kilometres with a bottle of water eagerly consumed at each. In between, the crowds kept cheering and the kids kept hanging out a hand for a high five. We were happy to oblige.

Roadside DJ’s playing a mixture of songs from Daft Punks ‘Get Lucky’ to Zorba the Greek kept the beat going as we reached half way. Entering Athens for the final six miles / 10 kilometres, runners increasingly succumbing to cramp, a succession of steel bands creating thunder with their drums was a welcome and invigorating lift.

Eventually, drawing deeply on unknown reserves, we headed into the Kallimarmaro Stadium (meaning beautifully marbled) and, arms raised aloft, crossed the line in 3 hours 37 minutes.

James and Jimmy cross the finish line of the Athens Marathon

It had a been a physical and emotional rollercoaster but one that we would certainly consider doing again!

This blog post is written by one of the Jo Walters Trust trustees, Thomas Walters, who has championed the Chauncy Maples cause.

Since making our donation to the M/V Chancy Maples restoration, matters have progressed well.  For those that have not heard about the project, the donation made by the Jo Walters Trust at the beginning of the year was in aid of the Chauncy Maples Malawi Trust which is renovating Africa’s oldest ship into a mobile clinic on Lake Malawi. The M/V Chauncy Maples will bring much-needed healthcare to remote villages where malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS are common. Improving people’s health enables them to farm, fish and live more productively.

Chauncy Maples painted with primer

In terms of the restoration of the ship herself, the first primer coat inside the ship was put on in May this year as you can see in the picture to the right:

Construction continues on the exhaust system, funneling  stairs and tanks.  Further details can be found in the Chauncy Maples newsletters on their website.







In mid-March the ship's new propeller was cast. The five blade propeller is over a metre across and has been specifically designed for the engine, the shape of the hull and the water in Lake Malawi.

Chauncy Maples Propeller

Once the interior fit out is completed, it will be possible to start fitting out the machinery spaces, of which of course, JWT's donation was made and allocated to the costs to the battery bank so that there is less dependence on the generators making this more of a "green" and environmentally friendly project. A copy of the thank you letter from the Chauncy Maples Trust to the Jo Walters Trust is below.








In terms of fundraising, the final push is on to raise the last funds necessary to complete the project.  On 11th September, 76 crews took part in The Big Row where the teams managed to raise just under £500,000 for the renovation of the MV Chauncy Maples.  My firm entered 3 teams (Hong Kong, Piraeus and London) and the event in Spitalfields market was extremely well attended including a number of the patrons of the Chauncy Maples trust including: Katie Derham, Jeffrey Evans, Sheriff of the City of London, The Rt. Hon. Roger Gifford, Angela Rippon OBE, Roz Savage MBE FRGS, Robert Treharne Jones and Admiral Lord West of Spithead GCB DSC PC as well as Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE who was on hand to give support.

We've been thrilled to be able to help with such a worthwhile cause!

In this blog post, one of the Jo Walters Trust trustees, Gilly Wilson talks a bit more about Contact the Elderly, an organisation the JWT supported in order to help them set up a new group in Bristol. You can read more about the grant itself here: http://jowalterstrust.org.uk/grant-awards/2012-grant-awards/48-contact-the-elderly.html

So it was the group's eighth tea together and the first I was actually hosting.  We had eight guests, ranging from mid seventies to mid nineties - and three drivers.  What seemed really nice is that the group is now "bonding" and conversations are deeper as they are getting familiar with each other.  Three of the guests have just joined and were welcomed by the "old hands".  Len, the one chap, didn't seem out of his depth surrounded by ladies at all!  In fact when Margaret asked  what type of hair dye he uses he called her a flirt.




The drivers are also getting to know their guests well as they drive them each month, and some of the hosts are now onto their second tea - so a bit of a routine and anticipation is developing.  My favourite job of the month is ringing the guests the week before the tea to check they are still able to come, as they are so happy to have it to look forward to.





At the end of the tea most of the guests took a few sandwiches or cakes to eat that evening, or the next day, and politely turned down the offer of a brisk jog around the block to work the cakes off!

As for myself, what better excuse to bake so many different cakes for one day, and now the plates are cleared away I have the happy task of finishing the leftovers...

They made it to the Med!

We are off home now for a bit of a rest - Peter has a boat to build and David has to concentrate on his bee-keeping. A massive thank you to all our generous supporters who propped us up in heaps of different ways and cajoled us with fun messages when the going got tough! To anyone who hasn't yet seen it, the website is well worth a visit - www.jowalterstrust.org.uk. It shows all the many and varied projects that this amazing Trust has supported in such a short time - it also makes sense of why we wanted to bicycle for 330 mls (528kms). Why wouldn't we want to! There also happens to be an omnibus edition of our blog in case you missed any!

Just a gentle reminder that if anyone would still like to donate, 'lines are still open' till 21 June on:

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/peterduke
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/davidparson

The final total will be on the JWT website by the end of June.

The challenge is out there to others to beat our time from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean or to set a new course with a new route, in aid of the Jo Walters Trust of course. We feel fitter (in spite of wonky necks, dodgy knees and bumps and bruises), we did what we set out to do - we made it, Jo!

Peter and David

Peter and David with the JWT banner

Monday 20th Day 7 Argens-Minervois to Portiragnes Plage (THE MEDITERRANEAN!)

The weather was really kind for our last day. A bright sunny but slightly chilly morning as we left the little village of Argens-Minervois got warmer and warmer as we made our way along good paths. It was a holiday in France and almost everything was closed including, rather strangely, the touristy things like restaurants and cafe stops. Some of the canals more interesting features were passed including spillways, aquaducts, bridges and even a tunnel. The tunnel was particular interesting. It was 175 metres long, 6 metres wide and 8 metres tall and dug through solid rock in the 1670s. According to our Guide book it was dug through the rock in 8 days!

The tunnel

Mary found us a lunch stop in Capestang and we were soon on our way towards Beziers. We knew we had arrived in Beziers when we came across a canal lock staircase just like Neptune's staircase in Fort William. We shot down hill only to be greeted with steep climb up the other side for our rendezvous with the statue of Pierre-Paul Riquet, the builder of the Canal du Midi.

Statue of Pierre-Paul Riquet

Next we headed for the sea at Portiragnes Plages, a few kilometres east of Beziers. Mary paddled in the cold Med. while we had a rather disgusting but well earned ice cream.

A 46 mile (74 kilometre) day ended with us basking in lovely warm sunshine and a temperature above 20 degrees for the first time.

The closing chapter will follow soon.

David, Peter and Mary

Sunday 18th Day 6:


We have had two days off and were suitably rested at the wonderful Chateau Rives-Blanques. Vicky had to return to work to keep Peter in the style to which he is accustomed. We continue our journey.

Leaving Chateau Rives Blanc

We left Carcassonne at midday along the southern bank of Canal du midi. The tow path was in a surprisingly good condition. There were lots of day cyclists, walkers and children but they disappeared after we left the city. We cycled passed a British Steam launch whose owner was busy sawing up sticks for his boiler and later a crocodile basking on the canal bank.

The crocodile

We had a late lunch in Trebes in the sunshine and were joined by the remaining member of the support team, Mary who had been tracking us on her phone. Then off again with the canal rapidly losing height through a series of locks as we made our way towards Homs. The tow path, initially good, finally changed to slippery mud and before long David had taken several tumbles including one which almost had him ending up in the canal.

As before a road was called for and again we found one. We were very quickly up to speed and following Keith Steel's advice, David tucked himself behind Peter and before long we were tearing along at more than 25 mph! Peter failed to get away! We dismounted our bikes at Argens-Minervois after a 28 mile ride and headed for our superior B&B.

 Peter and David

Thursday 15th Day 5

Castelnaudary to Carcassonne

Cold again today as we left Castelnaudary the world capital of cassoulet. The reasonable canal side path eventually turned into a muddy trail again after the previous days rains. This hampered progress and indeed this time it was Peter who fell off his bike. His excuse was that he thought he saw out of the corner of his eye, a cafe we could stop at. No such luck, once again we pedalled on without a stop slipping and sliding all over the place. David eventually went on strike and insisted a road was the answer. Sure enough he found a road and we pedalled our way into Carcassonne for a late lunch with our support team under the walls of the old fortified Cite de Carcassonne.

David and Peter beside the canal

We had achieved 28 miles before lunch. We had arranged to stay with Vicky and Peter's
very old friends Caryl and Jan Panman at their vineyard near Limoux. So we suspended our trip to the Med and pedalled south towards Limoux. David ran out of steam in the hills and as this was not part of the Atlantic to Mediterranean route, he generously agreed to handover his bike to Vicky so that she could do the last bit.

We are now taking a short break. Normal service will be resumed on Sunday when we set off on the last lap of our journey back to Carcassonne for the final 80 miles to the Mediterranean seaside.

David and Peter

Wednesday 14th Day 4

A day remarkable for torrential rain all day and temperature never exceeding 10 degrees C.

Could have done with waterproof helmets really...

We rode from Grisolles to Castelnaudary on our way south to Carcassonne and beyond. The cyclists (soaked to the skin) and the support team (bone dry) both had to battle their respective ways through the centre of Toulouse. Enormous traffic jams meant that the cyclists won by a mile and soon found themselves in the southern suburbs of Toulouse on the banks of the Canal du Midi. Twenty cold soggy miles later the paved cycle track on the canal finally gave way to thick slippery clay mud. Peter rolled on as usual while David struggled with thin tyres and ended up on his backside in the mud. After that we decided to take to the roads and splashed our way to Castelnaudary after a 58 mile (86 kilometre) voyage.

Peter and David

Tuesday 13th Day 3

Today was the least cold so far, temperatures are reported to have reached the mid twenties!
We departed Agen across the magnificent Napoleonic aqueduct that carries the canal over the Garonne river and continued our journey south east along the Canal Lateral a la Garonne towards Toulouse. We stopped for a picnic lunch supplied by our fantastic support crew who spend their days driving around trying to keep up with us, responding to our numerous requests for medicaments, massages and battling with the Office de Tourisme to try and book the next nights chambre d'hôte. Without their efforts Peter and I would still be sleeping rough in Arcachon.

Here are the support team hard at work

A highlight of today's ride was coming across an ingenious, experimental boat lift that involves the use of two enormous diesel locomotive engines to push a pool of water containing a boat up an inclined trough. The Montech boat lift is not deemed to be a failure but still remains unique!



Our support team led us astray today for a culture moment at a beautiful Romanesque cloistered church in Moissac. This delayed us slightly but we still managed a 52 miles (83 kilometres) and we are now more than half way through our journey.

Thank you for all the messages of encouragement from our "adoring public".

Finally a message to the upside down photo lot, the right way up lot think you should take more water with your whisky.

David and Peter

Monday 13th May - Day 2

Today we made our first 'barely a stop' for one cup of coffee between Langon (where we joined the Canal lateral de la Garonne) and Agen.

Today's ride was a mere 63 miles (101 Kilometres) and was achieved in spite of much complaining by DP that PMD refused to stop or reduce the hectic pace.

Finally as the landscape flashed by in a continuous blur DP was allowed one stop for one cup of coffee.

Peter cycling the towpath

Peter by the Canal

Peter and David

Our next few blog posts are hopefully going to be updates from the intrepid pair Peter Duke and David Parson who have just set off to cycle across France in aid of the Jo Walters Trust. They have set off, and below is the first update. We'd like to wish them a following wind and conveniently spaced vineyards.

David writes...

Starting at the very beginning: on the Atlantic beach: Left to right: Mary and David Parson, Vicky and Peter Duke

As we set off on our big bike ride, we remember Jo who would just have become 31 and whose example was the inspiration for this expedition. She would always rise to a challenge and hopefully so will we!

Yesterday evening navigation turned out to be the biggest challenge! We left the Atlantic coast near Arcachon bound for our B&B some 10 miles distant. 20 miles and 2 hours later we made it.

So today while Mary and Vicky were dipping their toes in the Atlantic and climbing the Dune de Pyla, the largest sand dune in Europe, we took the route verte down the disused railway line from Le Teich to Langon on the Garonne. The highlight was a contretemps with a large wild boar!

We achieved 55 miles (88 kilometres), not bad for day 1.

After Day 1

Our apologies to those who felt our photo appeared upside down - it was fine when it left here!

David and Peter

Kirstie teaching an English lesson

Kirstie with the Children of Sanita Convent School