London – Gateshead
Having completed the 790ish km of the Camino Frances across northern Spain I am now planning to walk a mere 600km from London to Gateshead. Glutton for punishment or what? The purpose of this is to support the work of Oasis Community Housing
Background.
I re-discovered the work of Oasis Community Housing earlier this year when my church announced a lent activity Walking a Mile in their Shoes. I hadn’t thought much about what was Aquila Housing Association since I had departed for Cornwall and resigned my position on the committee back in the 80s. I was able to have a visit to some of the local projects and to talk with David Smith and Phil Conn. It was weird to realise I was one of the founders!
I wanted to do something to help beyond the Lent activity though I was happy to do that not least because it helped me with my preparations for walking the Camino. I thought about getting sponsorship for my Camino but there wasn’t a great deal of time and I wanted to concentrate on this being a personal journey. What popped into my head was a walk dedicated to Oasis Community Housing (OCH). I remember the very first activity when we were setting up Aquila Housing Association was a sponsored walk from Rowlands Gill to Swalwell along the Derwent Walk. It’s growth from those humble beginnings perhaps demands a longer walk.
The Purpose
- I love walking
- Raise funds for the charity through sponsorship
- Raise awareness of homelessness
- Raise awareness of the work of Oasis Community Housing.
- Bear witness to the grace of God in blessing this work
- Bear witness to the challenge of how to, ” Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people, Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless.” Isaiah 58 : 6-7
Why London to Gateshead?
I could have picked any long distance route but because OCH have projects in South London and here in the North-East it seemed like that would be a good idea. Peterborough had to be included too because of a project there. It just felt right, especially since I wanted to highlight the work of OCH. My enthusiasm for the Slow Ways initiative was a great way to decide on a detailed route. I am going for a long, low level route, following the general direction of the old Great North Road, A1, and East Coast Main line obviously with some deviations. Once I get to the North-East I will do a loop through Sunderland and South Shields before arriving in Gateshead. The draft route can be accessed here
I will post more as things develop.