The time has come for BCT Aspire’s Managing Director to put his walking boots on again and venture off into the unknown.
This year’s Paul’s walk will start in the famous destination of Monte Carlo with the aim of heading all the way back to Billingham. Walking every step of the way till he reaches the French coastline, where he will attempt to get a lift across the channel and finally cycle home to Billingham.
The walk itself could take up to 6 weeks and will mean Paul having to learn French in around 8 weeks to give him a chance to gain support from local people. Paul will carry everything he requires on his back and hopefully show the strength of human kindness that can even cross language barriers.
Following on from his previous walks which have covered the entire UK, Paul will set off without money or support for two good causes – Daisy Elliott and the Sick Children’s Trust.
“Daisy Elliott, 10 month old Daisy suffers with Left Hemimegalencephaly causing focal epilepsy and developmental delays with possible cortical visual impairment.
The condition was first flagged up by Mam & Dad Claire & Paul when Daisy began having Epileptic seizures from the day she was born. After a stay in neo-natal unit at NorthTees Hospital, Daisy was transferred to the RVI Hospital in Newcastle to gain specialist care and when finally diagnosed with the condition Daisy was referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital for treatment.
Paul & Claire are currently awaiting confirmation from Great Ormond Street Hospital to see if Daisy is able to have a hemispherectomy an operation which part of the brain is removed or disconnected that will hopefully result in Daisy being seizure free and help her develop and grow.”
Due to all of the travel and time taken away from work this has meant the family beginning to struggle financially which is why the walking is taking place.
This links into the other chosen charity this year which will be The Sick Children’s Trust which run ‘Homes from Home’ for families of sick children so they can stay close by to their child whilst they are being treated in hospital. This obviously helps in terms of saving the family money and also meaning they can be close by. Paul Elliott stayed at Crawford House, one of The Sick Children’s Trust’s houses during Daisy’s time at the RVI in Newcastle. Further to this Paul had fundraised for other children in the past who have stayed at the house.
Caroline O’Doherty, Campaigns and Appeals Manager for The Sick Children’s Trust added: “Paul is the first member of the Entrepreneurs Forum, which have kindly chosen us as its charity of the year, to undertake a fundraising challenge for us. We wish him the best of luck and urge anyone who sees him on his adventure to cheer him on and ideally give him a lift across the channel so he can finish it in one piece!”
The walk links to Paul’s work with BCT Aspire who aims are to raise the aspirations of local children and young people.
Paul Burgum said ”I know that when people hear about the scale of my walks they are often amazed but I simply take it one step at a time. As someone who has battled numerous mental health issues I know that quite often I struggle with the simplest tasks, but by challenging myself in areas I am good at, I aim to make the daily tasks feel easier. I am worried this year about my lack of language skills and I am attempting to learn French in the next seven weeks. I am glad to supporting both causes and hopefully we can help in some way.”
Due to the obvious costs involved in actually getting there and kit requirements Paul is looking for corporate sponsors to support him this year. Through the walk Paul hopes to get great press coverage for the charities, his work and that of potential sponsors.
You can contact Paul through the following:
Phone: 01642 533316
Email: paul.burgum@bctaspire.org.uk
Website: www.bctaspire.org.uk
