Nepal yomp raises £45,000
A 'knee-jerk' fund-raising Yomp to raise money for victims of the Nepal earthquake looks to have raised £45,000.
In a blog post, Paul Mattin, who completed the 170-mile yomp from Devon to the Nepal Embassy with fellow businessman Nick Sprague, thanked those who had contributed to the appeal
In his post he said:
"Many of you will have followed the effort on Twitter and Facebook, but this little flyer will I hope round off what we all achieved.
"The 170 mile stroll, over 5 days (that's @ 35 miles per day) was undoubtedly an ill-thought-through idea! But sometimes the very best outcomes flow from daft-ideas. Nick and I stepped off up the country lanes and onto the A30/A303 with minimal perception of what such a distance would do to our bodies.
"At Crewkerne (some 12 hours later) - in driving rain, the 'penny-dropped'… it would be a toughie! Anyway, the rest is all history and blister tape, and thankfully we muddled our way into the Nepal Embassy, Kensington at around 7pm on Friday 8 May…. just fractionally off our scheduled arrival.
"It was a very special week! Nick and I learned much about 'long distance walking….on tarmac' - but more importantly we were invigorated by the generosity and spirit of all of you who supported the venture.
"Our knees, ankles, shins and blisters are steadily mending… which is a relief… But of course the dear people of Nepal continue to struggle. The 2nd earthquake really shattered confidence in the recovery effort, and many more lives and houses were lost to the disaster.
"As we pull together the final strands of funding - we are looking at a staggering £45,000 for the Yomp. According to the Chairman of the Nepalese community in Basingstoke - the amount you have donated is sufficient to rebuild a village…. this information was more than enough to keep Nick and I moving during the last awkward miles of the yomp.
"The Himalayan Trust UK and Shelterbox will now make the very best use of these funds to help ease the difficulties and aid recovery in these isolated mountain regions. I hope to be able to report back in more detail as to where and how your money has made a difference.
"We would very much like to thank you all for your involvement. Please - the crisis in Nepal continues - and so if you can do more - The Himalayan Trust UK and Shelterbox will utilise your donations carefully."
