BIG GIFT FROM A SOFA

We sold a sofa recently. I know, I know - we haven't been here five minutes but we just couldn't get on with it. A lovely couple came across from Yorkshire to collect it. We had a chat about this and that, how we spend our time in retirement, et cetera. And of course, I didn't miss a chance to talk about my fundraising activities.

Before they left, Don said he would like a copy of my book "Vic's Big Walk". I signed it and handed it over. "How much?" he said. "A minimum of £15 for a signed copy," says I, "It is a donation to Pancreatic Cancer UK, every penny goes to them".

He started to get out his wallet, which was surprisingly not empty, as they had already paid for the sofa. I told him I would prefer it if he paid it online, at

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Vic-Heaney2

because then we would get Gift Aid as well.

Two days later, nothing! I wondered if he had forgotten to make the donation. Then I got the email notifying me that Don and Lesly had made a donation of £100, plus £25 Gift Aid!

How about that? You don't have to pay that much, and if you insist on having the e-version, you can get that at Amazon Kindle, iBookstore, Kobo, et cetera, for less than you would pay for a visit to Starbucks.

WANT TO HELP?

I have 20 illustrated talks booked, to raise funds and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer UK . These bookings stretch well into 2017. How do I get them?

The talks are to Probus clubs, Gentlemen's clubs, Walking clubs, Libraries, Rotaries, Ladies' Church groups, WIs, Mens' Church groups, Mothers' Unions, U3As, Retired Union members, and more. If you belong to any such group, or any group which has regular speakers, you can help me in my work and be entertained at the same time.

Today I went into Blackpool on an errand. I popped into a Methodist Church which also has a cafe. I spoke to some of the staff and they said there is a regular Tuesday evening group which requires speakers and how soon could I do it? I left them with one of the cards you see here. They will contact me when they have sorted themselves out. I popped cards into the letterboxes of a couple more churches, I popped into Blackpool Central Library (for the first time in 60 years) and they showed some interest.

 Oh! And I also heard a lady talking on the bus about being the speaker secretary for an organisation, so I bearded her. She was keen and I would be very surprised not to hear from her.

I spread myself about like this and every now and again I receive a phone call or two, asking me to speak.

My current talk (there are lots of talks I could, and will, put together) is not a talk about cancer. It is about a marathon feat I undertook in aid of pancreatic cancer sufferers, current and future.

The rear of my card reads:

At the age of 70 Vic walked from the French Pyrenees to Blackpool."

He then wrote a book about the walk.

He wrote another book, about the time he and his wife Gay lived in Cyprus.

He gives talks about the walk project.

All this to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Contact Vic for a signed book, or to arrange a talk for your club or any other gathering, or to make a donation".

Want to help?

THE ANSWER IS YES, TO BOTH QUESTIONS

I have been asked both questions several times recently so listen carefully, I will say this only once.

Q1. Are your books also available for download?

A. Yes, on Amazon Kindle and all the other main suspects, such as iBook Store, Nook, Kobo, et cetera

Q2. Do all the proceeds still go to Pancreatic Cancer UK?

A. Yes, the price of the e-book version is much less than that of the hard copy, so the profit element is not high but every penny profit goes to Pancreatic Cancer UK. Roughly, £1 per download goes to the cause. Every penny counts.

Just search for the titles on Amazon or the other websites. I give the link HERE for "Vic's Big Walk" at Amazon UK.

THE ANSWER IS YES, TO BOTH QUESTIONS

I have been asked both questions several times recently so listen carefully, I will say this only once.

Q1. Are your books also available for download?

A. Yes, on Amazon Kindle and all the other main suspects, such as iBook Store, Nook, Kobo, et cetera

Q2. Do all the proceeds still go to Pancreatic Cancer UK?

A. Yes, the price of the e-book version is much less than that of the hard copy, so the profit element is not high but every penny profit goes to Pancreatic Cancer UK. Roughly, £1 per download goes to the cause. Every penny counts.

Just search for the titles on Amazon or the other websites. I give the link HERE for "Vic's Big Walk" at Amazon UK.

THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THE SHOWERS AT THE YMCA

I thought that headline would grab your attention. But it's true, unexpected things can happen in the oddest places.

A few weeks ago, I had just completed a spinning session or some such at the local YMCA and had gone to take a shower on the premises. There was another chap in there, of about my age. We got to talking about exercise and of course I didn't fail to mention that I had done a 9,000 mile walking project and that I had written a book about this and that I frequently gave illustrated talks about it, all to raise funds and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

He said, "Do you have a card? My wife's group are always looking for speakers and this sounds right up their street!" Of course, although I try to always carry my "Vic Talks The Walk" cards, ready for opportunities like this, I had to restrain my eagerness until I was dried off and back to my clothes. Things moved quite rapidly, within a day or two it was all arranged, and last Tuesday evening I gave the talk to the ladies and raised a bit more money for the cause.

Most of my talks are to closed groups like this, but don't forget there is a public "Vic Talks The Walk" at St Anne's Library, on the Fylde Coast, at 7 pm on Friday 29th July.

WHY DID I WALK SEVENTEEN AND A HALF MILLION STEPS IN ONE CHALLENGE?

Gay and I with part of the display at St Anne's Library

One way to find out the answer is to come along to St Anne's Library at 7 pm on 29th July.

Although this is a talk about me undertaking a massive project to raise funds and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer UK, it is not a talk about cancer. I will tell you why, to celebrate my 70th birthday, I trained for two years, then walked, mainly alone, for 70 days from the Pyrenees to the Pennines. And things seen, people met, and non too deep thoughts along the way.

I have, of course, delivered this illustrated talk to many organisations and clubs now, along with one or two libraries. It has been well received. This is a rare chance to see an event open to the public, and I would like to see you there.

BACK TO WORK

Enough of this pussyfooting around, doing the Lancashire Coastal Walk and Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk!

Back to spreading the word and earning some cash for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Because of the above, there has been a bit of a lull in Vic Talking The Walk lately. Now I have several talks lined up and lots more at the "let's agree a date" stage.

Most of these talks are to clubs and societies, for their own members. But on 29th July there is just the talk you are waiting for - open to all - at St Annes Library.

If you want to know why somebody should walk 9,000 miles at the age of 70 - get your name down now!

The Morning After - We Emerge From The Mist

Wainwright Urges Us To Now Invent Our Own Treks.

Children Fossicking On The Beach at Robin Hood's Bay

My Foot Crosses the Coast

Thursday morning we awoke to find the mist had lifted somewhat. So we made our way downhill again to see what Robin Hood's Bay really looks like. I have to say it is a charming place.

If you think my shoes look a little clean after walking for 14 days, the last one in particular through mud and bog, this is because they are my off-duty pair. I mention that only because I am sure somebody would point out their pristine condition.

The poster a yard or two from the beach quotes Alfred Wainwright as suggesting that, when one has completed this adventure designed by him, one should go away and invent one of one's own. Admirable sentiments, but I have been there, don, that, in my 70 day walk from the Pyrenees to the Pennines.

In the short time before we left, we saw numerous buses disgorging hordes of children under supervsion. The beach is famous for fossils and jet, but if this was a normal day how long will that last?

I could not have done this walk without Gay. Not only has she followed the maps and guided us faultlessy through what is sometimes not a very clear route, but she has, as usual, acted as my "seeing eye wife"  pointing out many places where I could have put a foot wrong and perhaps come a nasty cropper. She even has to do this when we are walking on pavements at home!

WE HAVE ARRIVED, AND TO PROVE IT WE ARE HERE

Gay photographing the pebbles she carrued all tge way from St Bee's to Robin Hood's Bay

The last day was hard. I don't think I have ever seen so much mud in my life, including the last few miles along the cliff tops to Robin Hood's Bay. Dangerous in places, strengh-sapping otherwise.

I don't mind admitting this is the hardest thing I have done in my life. Much harder than my 70-day walk 6 years ago, when I was a mere 70 years of age. I don't know whether it is because I am older, because I was ill before the start and did not give myself any time to recover from that, or the state of my eyes which meant I had to concentrate on every footstep for the whole day every day most days. But it was very hard, and I think I can confidently say that I will never undertake anything like this again, unless I am confident the footing is smooth.

169 YEARS OF LIFE, 2000 YEARS OF WAR

2 days left to walk on Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk, and they should be relatively FLAT! We have reached Great Broughton and during today;s walk, which was decidedly not flat, we should have been able to see the sea. But as we have been in mist for most of the day, we have seen very little, except an endless series of long climbs and sharp falls.

Here are a few pics from the past couple of days. One is of the monument in Bolton on Swale churchyard to Henry Jenkins, who lived an immense amount of time, having been born in 1500 and pottered on until his death in 1670. He had not quite reached his 170th birthday when he shuffled off the mortal coil\

Another picture is of a police tank parked up in Reeth. The people in that part of Yorkshire must be very naughty indeed.

Just outside Richmond is the "cutout" memorial to 2000 years of war, showing soldiers from the Roman Empire, World War One, and the modern era. We are no doubt starting on another 2000 or more years of increasingly vicious and technology-based warfare.

Continuing Endeavours

More pics from the Coast to Coast. We are in Richmond. 10 days down and 4 long ones to go. And it's raining.

Gladstone in the pulpit\

Gay on another bridge

Gay on the bridge, but not of the Endeavour

The Endeavour in Orton. There seem to be more Australians doing this walk than any other nationality

FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA

Starting Off From St Bee's

Ennerdale. My Mother's Homeland. Heard About It All My Life, First Time I have Seen It

Gay With The Lovely Horses

We have just completed Day 7 of 14 on Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk.

The first few days were very hard. I had come straight off a viral chest infection with no time for recovery. It was very hot and humid. The underfoot was all broken stone of various sizes and my eyes, which now excel in vertical distortion, could not cope, sending the wrong messages to my brain. For the first time in my life I wondered if I could finish something I had started.

Fortunately the footing has now improved, with much more grass. The weather cooled slightly today and looks as if it will be turning quite wet for the rest of the walk, which will make it all quite unpleasant in other ways.

If you would like to support me in this endeavour, please make a donation to Pancreatic Cancer UK through my Just Giving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Vic-Heaney2

VIC'S BIG CRAWL for Pancreatic Cancer UK

CAN I DO THIS? CAN YOU SUPPORT ME? CAN YOU SHARE THIS FOR ME?

I am rapidly approaching (July) my 76th birthday. I am visually impaired. In the past two months I have been prevented from walking by a) a back injury, b) a foot injury caused by my partial sight, c) another back injury, and d) a viral lung infection resulting in my GP imposing a total ban on exercise.

The ban expires on Tuesday 31st May. The very next day, June 1st, my wife Gay and I set out to do Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Walk, which, as you may know traverses the Lake District, The Pennines and the North Yorkshire Moors on its way from the Atlantic to the North Sea. This will be part of my current fundraising and awareness raising effort for Pancreatic Cancer UK.
As you can see, I have not had the ideal preparation for this upcoming task. I thought my biggest problem was going to be the eyesight, and had prepared the title “Vic’s Big Stumble”. Now this could become “Vic’s Big Crawl”. It may be my swansong in the athletic arm of my fundraising, although the writing and speaking will hopefully continue.

I am an experienced walker but this will now be very hard. If you have had pancreatic cancer in your family or circle you will know why I am proceeding. This is not something you want in your family.

We must find a cure for the scourge that is pancreatic cancer. If I, at my age and with the difficulties listed above, can put myself through this supreme effort, can I ask you to support me by making a donation, large or small, to Pancreatic Cancer UK on my JustGiving page? If so, I thank you. If not, I hope to see you at one of my speaking events soon.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Vic-Heaney2

Vic's Big Stumble

VIC'S BIG STUMBLE - Coastal Way Plus Coast to Coast

Gay and I will be walking the Lancashire Coastal Way (a four day walk from Freckleton to Silverdale) in early May 2016, followed by Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk (14 days) starting on June 1st. Both events are part of our fundraising efforts for Pancreatic Cancer UK and if you would like to help you can donate on this page:

https://www.justgiving.com/Vic-Heaney2/

The Coastal Way is largely flat, after negotiating the first tricky few miles along the river bank, but the Coast to Coast is much more arduous, going over the Lake District, the Pennines and the Yorkshire Moors. As I am now officially sight impaired, this will be extremely interesting - I can not walk along a pavement without falling over the hills, and Gay has to point the kerbs out to me.

NEW BANNER SIGNALS ANOTHER ARM OF MY FUNDRAISING FOR Pancreatic Cancer UK

The picture shows Nikki Carter, of 2am, handing over to me the magnificent roll-up banner designed and produced for me by that company as part of their sponsorship of my fundraising.

The banner is to be used at a new offshoot of my fundraising program, in which I do book signings without an accompanying talk. For instance, on Sunday 3rd April I will have a stall at the tabletop sale organised by J&L Events at Newton with Scales Village Hall. I expect to do more such events and will be probably also be found in supermarket foyers, et cetera. Possibly also "busking" in the street. At all these events I will be available to chat about my walks, my talks and my fundraising. And to sign copies of my books.

My fundraising activities are not confined to the Fylde. I have done talks in Cheshire, Yorkshire, Middlesborough and have been asked if I would go to Reading and other "foreign parts".

Please contact me for details.

ANOTHER STRING TO MY FUNDRAISING BOW

Since the last post I have continued to present talks to Probus Clubs, Rotaries, et cetera. I have more lined up, including  several more library talks. Every event raises awareness and funds for the vital work of Pancreatic Cancer UK.

I am also branching out in another direction. I have been asked to take a stall at table-top sales. In fact Gay and I did one, but we felt we needed something to attract people to talk to us. At events like these, I am not giving a talk but rather sitting there with copies of my books - and information about Pancreatic Cancer UK - on a table, and talking to people who come up, about the books, about pancreatic cancer. Some people will take a signed copy of one of the books (knowing that every penny is a donation to PCUK), some will take information about the appalling plague which pancreatic cancer is, and some will give me a lead or even a date for a talk to their club or group. Some will walk on, which is fine.

Clearly we could do more such events, or do the same thing, by arrangement, in supermarket foyers, shopping centres, car boot sales, maybe even in the street.  But as I said, we needed something to attract the punters. Some time ago I homed in on the idea of one of those roll-up banners but they are rather expensive to have designed and produced.

Now http://2ammedia.co.uk/ have kindly offered to make such a banner for me and it is pictured above. It is about 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. We will be going to their offices on Tuesday for the handover. I am very grateful to them and hope the collaboration will do good things for both their company and for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

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At the age of 70 I walked from the French Pyrenees to Blackpool.

I then wrote a book about the walk.

I wrote another book, about the 8 years Gay and I lived in Cyprus.

I give talks about the walk project.

All of this to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK. ALL proceeds of my books also go to PCUK.

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Contact me for a signed copy of either book or to arrange a talk for your club or any other gathering.

victalksthewalk@gmail.com

Signed copies of the books are also available at any of my talks.

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Get an e-version of either book from Amazon Kindle or iBookstore, Kobo or any of the main e-book websites.

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Make a donation:

https://www.justgiving.com/Vic-Heaney2/