Sponsored walk

[BFR]

From my point of view, I quite liked the idea of getting a few miles under the belt on the Wednesday night after work, so as to get the ball rolling. That of course means an extra night of accomodation, but would then space the journey out just a little bit more which I think could be crucial for me if I am to complete this trek. Having done a Woody and come up a little short on route to the plods, any method for making the journey easier is going to be essential

[Don Juan DeMarcus]

If anyone has a one day option id be interested as there is no way id be able to get off work...

[richierebel]

so what about doing two sponsored things, the walk option and the bike ride for those that can`t get time off, i am sure when i did the london to brighton bike ride it took about 5 and a half hours, but that included traffic getting out of london and into brighton due to numbers of riders

[Ian]

Personally, I like the idea of the walk as it's in keeping with what we've done in previous years. I do accept that I'm very fortunate and am able to take the time off work realising that this is not something everyone is able to do. Not to mention staying away for two nights witb the associated costs etc.

 

I like the thought of a 'one day' alternative for those who cannot do a three-day walk and the bike option sounds perfect. Who would be up for a bike ride if we were to organise something? If there's enough interest it would be the ideal solution. Don't underestimate how hard it is to ride 60 odd miles though as anyone who has done the London to Brighton will testify!

[richierebel]

I suppose as it was my idea for the bike ride(if there is enough interest!) i had better put my name down, as long as there is someone there that knows the way, might be able to talk a few mates into doing it too!

[PJ-STFC]

Ian

Sounds a great idea, and likely to get some good publicity (especially if walking) - won't be able to join you though.

 

 

However, if you do go for the walking option, via Guildford, I may be able to help out with some of the logistics in the vicinity - even if only with some refreshments if you are continuing south rather than stopping.

 

 

(Contact me by PM for further info!)

 

PJ <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/chat.gif" alt="" />

[Staines-upon-Thames Rebel]

I like Brighton Rebels one day option (walking from Brighton to Worthing) meeting at Brighton station and this would then facilitate getting home - is Worthing station walking distance from the ground?

 

This would allow those with chavs to take part too.

[brighton_rebel]

A three day walk from Slough, a bike ride and a walk from Brighton would make a good news story i reckon...

Worthing train station is about 15 minutes from the ground

 

brighton rebel

[Staines-upon-Thames Rebel]

BR I will talk to you at next game you are at about a Brighton - Worthing walk

[brighton_rebel]

I'll be at Braintree, if someone confirms i've got a space on the coach - looking forward to talking about train journies with David

 

brighton rebel

[Woody SUFC]

i can see it now...front page of the sun breaking news on bbc1 and ITV doing a sit down interview with all you walkers.

 

And then when they cut back to the studio Sir Trev says "Nuttaaaahs Bong"

[Ian]

As planning the walk, finding accommodation, trying to convince said accommodation to let us stay on the cheap etc., is going to be quite time consuming, what would be great is if someone could organise the Brighton walk, someone else organise the bike ride while I carry on sorting out the 3 day event.

 

Any takers?!

[brighton_rebel]

I suppose i should organise the brighton side of things - maybe everyone interested could have a chat before saturdays game or at our next home game?

 

brighton rebel

[Ian]

Cheers, BR, I sort of thought you should deal with the Brighton end.

[Staines-upon-Thames Rebel]

BR I will see you Saturday and we can put some plans in place

[Ian]

Having done a bit of further investigation into both the route and accommodation I thought I should provide an update.

 

In total, there were seven of us who volunteered to take part as a result of my initial posting on the forum. Gary Chappell has kindly agreed to post something in the Slough Observer and there'll also be some details in the forthcoming Cheshunt programme. As a result we may hopefully get a few more.

 

The difficulty on this walk is finding suitable places to stop that satisfy all the right criteria, i.e. cheap, large enough to accommodate everyone taking part and on route so we don't have to walk an extra mile or two having already travelled 25 to get there.

 

Having driven the first part of the walk last weekend it seems the most suitable stop on day one (Thursday evening) is just south of Guildford, a total of 27 miles. I've managed to locate a great place to stay which requires no route deviation although I do have to pay for a proportion of the accommodation costs up front.

 

This is where commitment is needed by anyone planning to take part. As we need to confirm numbers and also find something suitable for the Friday night, I need to ask for a deposit of £25 to be paid by 31st January at the very latest. This is partly the information that's going in the programme and the Observer.

 

The deposit is, regretably, non-refundable and reflects the charges that we'll incur if accommodation is booked and then subsequently cancelled. The total cost of the overnight stops, per person, will vary from £25 - £45 per night, depending on what I can find and whether I can secure any sponsorship. If you are planning to participate, I'd suggest budgeting for the worst case scenario.

 

Can I therefore ask anyone planning to take part to confirm to me that they wish to do so, to make sure they can secure time off work, college, university, school etc. before parting with any cash and, having done so, provide me with a cheque for £25 (made out to STSA so there's an audit trail) by 31st January at the latest.

 

I will be booking the accommodation at that time based on the total number who have paid their deposits so anyone wishing to put their names forward after this date and wanting to stay overnight will only be able to do so subject to us finding further accommodation. Obviously if others wish to walk and get a lift home in the evening, rejoining us the following morning, they are more than welcome to do so.

 

If anyone has any questions about any aspect of the walk, please drop me a PM on here or via e-mail to: ian@sloughtownfc.net

 

Cheers, <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/top.gif" alt="" />

[GarySTFC]

Can you not get the STST to sponsor this for at least part of the accomodation? Local companies would surely be interested in either sponsorship of the walkers or helping out with the finances? Are the accomodation places not willing to assist with the costs? i.e. waive a percentage due to the reasons why the walk is being done?

[Ian]

I'm exploring a number of options with regards sponsorship but cannot guarantee what we can get at this stage. If we wait until we've got the money we may lose the accommodation we want. I'm reasonably confident we can get some of the costs covered but at the moment we need to pay the deposits required hence asking people to commit.

[Barry Scott]

will cash do?

[Ian]

Cash will do although make sure I give you receipt!