Desmond completes Big Stride Out for charity

All set to go…Desmond High (left) and David Bracey ready for their Big Stride Out

EMC Director Desmond High has recently completed a gruelling 150-mile walk from Birmingham to London which has so far raised more than £20,000 for charity.

Desmond teamed up with businessman and friend David Bracey to undertake the five-day walk along the towpaths of the Grand Union Canal.

David, the co-founder of Kent company The Fountain Workshop, was diagnosed with testicular cancer four years ago. During his treatment and recovery, he pledged to give something back by helping to raise both awareness of the disease and much needed funds for five small charities.

Desmond agreed to join him and together they hatched the plan for their Big Stride Out marathon which began at the fountain in Brindley Place, Birmingham, which The Fountain Workshop had installed 20 years ago, and ended at the company’s flagship project in Granary Square, King’s Cross.

At the finish, an exhausted but exhilarated Desmond High said: “What started as a Big Stride in Birmingham turned into a small shuffle by the end. And hopes of a nice flat, paved canal-side towpath soon turned into the reality of many miles of single file, stony tracks with uneven camber.

“Fifty hours of that took its toll, not just on feet but on ankles and knees too. And, unfortunately, it left no time for agreeable lunches in picturesque canal-side pubs either.  However, we will recover whereas the people our supported charities help may not have that option.”

The five charities that will benefit from Desmond and David’s fantastic efforts are:

• Orchid, the UK’s leading male cancer charity.
• The Primary Club, a cricketer’s charity which raises money to provide sports and recreational facilities for the visually impaired.
• The Quest School, based in Paddock Wood, which provides excellent care for children with autism.
• LUPUS UK, a charity which supports research into this currently incurable illness of the immune system.
• Fields of Life, a charity with a focus on clean water, education and health care in post-conflict East Africa.

Desmond added: “With funds already banked and known ones in transit, we have now raised over £20,000. But we hope there may still be more to come. So for anyone who hasn’t yet supported us but would like to do so, please visit www.BigStrideOut.co.uk where your donations will be most gratefully received.”

OCTOBER 2015

Half way…and still managing to smile!

Almost there…and the strain begins to tell