30 April 2022

Dear friends, sponsors and supporters

Thank you all for your support! It makes all the difference.

I have now completed my 1,128 mile trek, walking the equivalent
distance of London to Rome. I began the challenge 13 months ago on 1 April 2021, and, thanks to you, I have raised £16,778.77 for Nepal children’s charity, Kidasha. 

Wanting to raise vital funds and awareness for some of the world’s
poorest and most vulnerable children, I decided to walk the distance from my home in the Suburb to St. Peter’s Square in Rome. Diagnosed as clinically extremely vulnerable due to a health condition, I was faced with completing my trek whilst staying safe. As a result, I decided to cover the London to Rome distance using the space provided by a secluded field behind my house. Over the last year, I have completed the equivalent of 12,400 laps of the field - 2.65
million steps - in support of Kidasha. In fact, my track is so well worn
that you can see it from space - see https://bit.ly/3OH4VTZ. 

During the final 3 months, I “passed through” Lucca, Florence,
Siena, Bolsena and Viterbo (Tuscany and Etruria) and, skirting the Sabine Hills, down though Lazio onto the Roman plain. Wine districts included Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Chianti and Vernaccia di San Gimignano, so it was not hard to walk through the vineyards and the food was great too. Arrival in Rome is very special. Ruth and I walked 150 miles from Siena to Rome in 2008 as we prepared for our fundraising trek to Everest Base Camp.

As you know, I retired as Chairman of Kidasha many years ago, but Ruth and I have continued trekking. Since 2006, we have walked through Nepal’s Himalaya and Annapurna mountain ranges - and even reached Everest Base Camp in 2008 - to raise as much money as we could for the most vulnerable children in Nepal.  

When I was asked to comment on my arrival, I said  “I’m absolutely overjoyed that I have been able to complete this trek in support of Kidasha. Ruth and I walked from Siena to Rome for real in 2008, so retracing our steps has brought back wonderful memories! My
local community, my sponsors, and my family have all been so supportive of my journey, and I’m proud that I’ve been able to complete this challenge in a little over a year. The pandemic has been tough for everyone, but the vulnerable families and children of Nepal have been faced with great hardship. I’m glad that our efforts will be able to raise awareness of those living in extreme poverty, and provide some support to those that need it.”

All of the funds raised from the trek will support Kidasha’s work to improve the lives of children living in chronic poverty in Nepal. This includes working to end child exploitation by providing homeless children with safe shelter, supporting children into education, and working to create new opportunities and help the most marginalised escape poverty. 

Funds to go to Kidasha and Nepal generally is all the more important now that so much funding is – quite deservedly – being diverted to Ukraine and their refugees.

Janice Miller, Chief Executive of Kidasha, commented “What Myke has achieved is incredible, and it’s been amazing to see his friends and community come together in support of him and Kidasha during what have been such difficult times for everyone. Myke’s determination and selflessness not only undertaking this incredible challenge but also many others over the last 17 years have been invaluable in helping Kidasha to maintain support and services for the most vulnerable children in Nepal.”

To support Kidasha’s
fundraising efforts, please visit: Myke’s ‘Trek to Rome
without ever leaving home’ fundraising page

To learn more about
Kidasha, please visit: https://kidasha.org/.

So this is farewell! No more updates!

I am now heading off across Hadrian’s Wall (virtually, of course)
– a mere 73 miles from coast to coast.

I am really grateful to you for all your financial and emotional
support as I trekked across England, France and Italy. Your contributions are already making an enormous difference to all the children and families supported by Kidasha and their Nepali partners.

Until the next time…

All the best and thanks again

Myke