Do you want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money in aid of Curtis Palmer Program and every donation will help. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

Hi, in June 2022, I decided to go for a little "wander" from France, across the northern coastal path of Spain, then down into Santiago De Compostela, which is one of the ancient pilgrim routes, which forms the Camino De Santiago, a distance of just under 900km, I did this in 33 days, to raise money for the Curtis Palmer Program, a mental health charity for the military & emergency services, having close family & friends in both the military & emergency services I've seen 1st hand the impact these roles have on mental health. After completing this walk, all I suffered was a few (big) blisters & a slight stress fracture on my heel, nothing major. Fast forward 6 months, & the simple act of slipping over at home resulted in me snapping my quadriceps tendon, after 2 operations, a severe infection that was borderline sepsis, & major anaphylaxis with resulted me stopping breathing & generally having a bad day, put me into a very dark place, I was capable of walking vast distances, in 40 degree heat, carrying a pack, but now I had to teach myself to walk again. As I had raised money for them, the Curtis Palmer Program invited me out to Norway on an expedition, which involved hiking, & then canoeing down a fjord, rough camping along the way, as I couldn't do the hiking phase, I was asked to look after an amazing bloke called Ben Parkinson. Ben was severely injured whilst on deployment with the UK military in September 2006, which resulted in him losing both legs above the knee, breaking his back, & suffering lasting brain damage, after his vehicle hit an IED. I can remember talking to him, whilst in Norway, complaining that my knee was swollen to the size of a basket ball, & I was in constant pain, to be told " don't know what your moaning about, my knees are all over Afghan"....... not a lot I could say to that, but it does show the strength of the human spirit. In March 2025, I'm again joining Ben with the Curtis Palmer Program, in Norway, where we will recreate the Hero's of Telemark.

This is an incredible story, after the Germans had taken control of Norway in 1940, they had access to a potentially game changing asset, that could change the face of the war, access to a rare ingredient for developing an atomic weapon....heavy water. Due to the location of the hydroelectric plant is was proving difficult for the allies to destroy it. In 1942 a group of Special Operation Executives (early James Bond.....) spent time of the Hardangervidda platue gathering evidence. The Hardangervidda is 3600ft above sea level, on the edge of the Artic Circle, & is one of the most inhospitable places on earth. These SOEs were only issued with limited rations, & spent months living off the land, staying in mountain huts. In February 1943 with favorable conditions, they successfully infiltrated the power plant, & destroyed the supply of heavy water, then dispersed in different directions to escape. Unfortunately a small supply of heavy water survived, which was moved to different locations, but unbeknownst to the Germans the SOE were still gathering intelligence, & in 1944 the last supply was sent to the bottom of the Norwegian Sea.

We aim to take Ben on a specially adapted slegde, to recreate part of this extraordinary story, we will stay in some of the original mountain huts, along with canvas tents, hiking the route, its going to be an interesting experience as I've never done extreme cold before. To raise money for this, I'm going to walk another Camino, this one in 2 countries. In May I'm going to walk the St James Way, from the ruins of Reading Abbey to Southampton, a distance of 68 miles, then go back to Spain, to walk the Camino Ingles, from Ferrol, northwest Spain, down to Santiago De Compostela, around 77 miles. This is one of the original pilgrimage routes, that our ancestors did, where they would board a ship in Southampton, disembark at Ferrol to then continue, again I will carrying everything I need on my back. I'm still not fully healed from my accident, but after talking to Ben, & others, I'm a firm believer of " That which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger". All the money I raise will go to the Curtis Palmer Program, which will continue to help those suffering with stress, anxiety & other mental health issues, by adhering to the NHS's pricables for better mental health:

Learn new skills

Connect with others

Pay attention to the moment

Physical exercise

Give to others

Thanks for reading......