Walk for Uganda to raise £50,000
The Revd Canon Richard Darmody, Team Rector of The Ramseys and Upwood felt inspired last October to take action to help the lives of those he had met on his three trips to Uganda. After sharing this with others at his son's engagement party that same night the idea quickly became a reality with Richard now planning to walk from Ely Cathedral (where he is an Honorary Canon) to Carrow Road, home of Norwich City Football Club (of whom he is a fan) starting on 1st March 2010.
Richard had initially hoped to raise maybe a couple of thousand pounds for equipment and to help towards building a dorm and other buildings for The Bishop's School in south-west Uganda. His hope was to raise awareness of their needs and invest in the future of the children there. However, after an anonymous donor gave a very generous £10,000 for equipment for the school and then a church gave an equally incredible £20,000 for the building costs, Richard has raised the fund-raising target to £50,000. Several others have pledged to walk with him and help towards the fund-raising.
Richard and the group will be waved off from Ely Cathedral on 1st March by Bishop David and met at Carrow Road on Saturday by Delia Smith, TV Chef and Director of Norwich City FC. They will arrive in time for the Norwich versus Yeovil match which Delia has kindly provided some free tickets for and a meal in the Gunn Club.
Do please consider donating towards this very worthy cause as all of the funds raised will go directly to the school project with no administrative overheads - details of how to donate are at the bottom of Richard's message below.
Canon Richard Darmody writes:
Last October I had what seemed the ridiculous idea of a pilgrimage from Ely Cathedral (where I am a Canon) to Carrow Road, the home of Norwich City FC (where I am a fan). That idea is now a reality and on the 1st March 2010 I shall be setting out with several others to walk the 70 miles to Norwich. We shall be waved off by the Bishop of Huntingdon and welcomed the other end by Delia Smith, TV Chef and Director of Norwich City. We are walking about 15 miles each day.
The reason for a 57 year old Canon doing such a thing for the first time is the children of Uganda. My wife and I have visited the North Kigezi Diocese in S W Uganda three times and have witnessed the dire need for better educational facilities. The objective is to raise £50,000 pounds to help build a school at the invitation of the local Bishop, The Right Revd Dr Edward Muhima. We are able to ensure that every pound of the money will be used for the school and on our fourth visit in August we will be able to see the progress for ourselves.
We are grateful for the moral support for this venture which we received when we met President of Uganda Yoweri Musevini in London last year, and from the Ugandan High Commission and our local MP, Shailesh Vara, whose parents fled from Uganda during the time of Idi Amin. In securing the help of Delia Smith we also received help from Lord Mawhinney, Chairman of the Football League.
However, the important people are the Ugandan children themselves. Investing in them and in their education seems a sensible way to provide a better future. Can you help by sponsoring this walk? If so please give what you can, however small. The money is going through St Thomas a Becket Church books which means that tax payers can Gift Aid their contribution. Cheques should be made payable to ‘St Thomas a Becket PCC’ but the envelope should be clearly marked ‘Walk for Uganda.’
Please do visit my blog at www.walkforuganda.blogspot.com
Thank you for your interest and your help.
Canon Richard Darmody
The Rectory
16 Hollow Lane,
Ramsey, PE 26 1DE.