Hello from York - a lovely, very English, city.

We're now back and running again afthis is er our less than pleasant experience the other day. This is mostly thanks to some wonderful companies in Alnwick and Newcastle, who have been incredibly kind in helping us get back on the move.  After our stuff was stolen, we were rescued from the middle of nowhere by our sponsors at Vaude, who gave us a bed for the night, and more importantly a portion of chips each! They then went even further by giving us a mix of discounts and freebies on new rucksacks, coats, sleeping mats and the like.  As well as this, we also owe a huge amount to a group of 3 Newcastle based companies - GetFitOutside, Wingrove Lettings and PanHaggerty - who got together to fund some much needed equipment.

Before our stuff was taken, James bought some new shoes, and has recently been through the joys of breaking them in.  The shoes in question have lead to a huge blister on the top of each of his big toes, and he's sprained a muscle behind his shin.  Being a trained first aider (ha!), he has fixed the problem with a bandage and 3 pairs of socks.  Although this has worked, it has the disgusing side effect of his feet smelling three times as much.  The smell in the tent has now reached the stage where it can melt peoples noses at thiry paces. I'm not kidding either!

A mention should also go to Lionheart FM - Alnwick's local radio station - where we spent most of the day when waiting for James' parents to come up and replace some kit. We were invited in for an interview, which soon became an interview and a cup of tea.  Before long biscuits and muffins were added, and we spent most of the day there choosing songs, reading out the station number and generally lounging around. Our host Carl and his team were very welcoming, and we suggest you have a listen.  They broadcast online, and so even if you don't live anywhere near Alnwick, log on and tune in!

Also in Alnwick we met the very interesting Lord Michael Bates. He's currently spending his time walking 100 miles from Holy Island to Durham Cathedral in aid of the charity "Tomorrows People". This is a charity which focuses on helping young unemployed people back into work. It's a brilliant cause, and he was a very inspirational guy, so we suggest you have a look at www.walkfortomorrow.org . As far as I can gather he has now completed his journey, and we'd like to congratulate him for doing so!

And lastly, we have recently learnt that there are two Alzheimer's societies in the UK - Scottish and English.  Apparently the two are separate due to the difference in laws in the two countries, making it easier for them to operate as "sister" charities, rather than a whole.  We didn't know this at the start of the walk, but we have now come to the decision that we will be splitting the money between the two.  After all the money has been collected we will sit down with a calculator and try to split the money fairly.  We did after all walk through Scotland, and recieve a lot of kindness there. If you would like to find out more about the Scottish Alzheimers society, click HERE.

Our next stage of the journey will hopefully be taking us to Doncaster, and we should be there with a few days.  We'll hopefully be able to do another update then.  Wish us luck!

Marcus (and James)

Thanks to these companies!:

Vaude
GetFitOutside
Wingrove Lettings
Pan Haggerty
Bedrock Communications
James' Parents