SEB’S ODYSSEY
LOCAL ASSISTANCE – HELP REQUIRED
To make a donation to Seb's support fund - click here
If you see Seb en route take a photo and email it in to mary00harper@btopenworld.com
- Support Funding. As Seb is unable to claim benefit or seek employment during his walk we have set up a support fund to pay for his daily needs – food, campsite fees, equipment replacement etc. His running costs will be considerable over the 5000 miles he will walk in the next twelve months. If you felt able to sponsor Seb and Flash, £15 would cover his costs for a day. And perhaps you could encourage your friends to do the same! At the top of this page you will find a link to the pledge form; please feel free to photocopy it and send any donations to our office in Dorchester – address on the form.
- Advice, comment and suggestions on the proposed route. Seb hopes to follow the coastline as closely as possible in the tradition of Round–Britain walkers who do not stick entirely to Public Rights of Way, but hug the coast as closely as possible. Local landowners and farmers appear to tolerate this approach for ‘genuine’ Round-Britain walkers, but any local contacts to smooth his way would be appreciated. Advice on areas where walking will not be possible, with a suggested re-route, would be most useful.
- Advice on river crossings. Seb will encounter a number of major river crossings and is able to use ferries where available. Some will not run in winter, and some will not have ferries, but we understand that local harbourmasters and boatyards can often be persuaded to help out. Again, support and local contacts would be much appreciated
- Camping. Seb is backpacking and will need assistance with finding places to put up his tent. This may be proper sites, farmers’ fields or back gardens perhaps! It may be sensible for him to be picked up at the end of a day, dropped at a site, and returned to the coast the following day. We are hoping that occasionally he and the dog might be offered bed and breakfast!
- Re-supply. We will need to get dog food supplies to Seb and this is being supported by Healthy Pets in Blandford. However, sometimes we will need assistance from people offering to have a 'cache' at their house/campsite for him to pick up from. We are also raising money for a ‘support fund’ to enable Seb to access money as required en route. We are hoping that some supporters will know a local pub who might stand Seb a free meal and allow him to collect money for his charities from customers. (He will have letters of authority from his chosen charities.) Jannina Henderson who completed the walk in 2006 raised almost £34,000 by this method!
- Safety Cover. We would like volunteers across each county to monitor Seb’s progress and report back to us at ‘base’ once a day recording progress for the website and highlighting any needs or issues for the support team to address.
- Loneliness. Seb is only 18 and we appreciate that at times he will find it lonely. If anyone would like to walk with him for a period I’m sure it would be much appreciated and will take the pressure off him for route-finding if they know the ‘patch’!
- Pre-positioning. Occasional pre-positioning of kit to lighten Seb’s load for a day would be welcomed.
- Fundraising. We wondered if some D of E Award Group members might like to walk with him for a day or weekend and do it as a sponsored walk, chipping half the proceeds into Seb’s charities, and half into a charity of their choice.
- Media contacts. Offer advice on local media contacts to enable us to keep the publicity flowing throughout the walk.