The Vision

Yes, Yes, Yes. So I’m hitting the road. The dream has been in my heart for too long so its time to head south slowly on my bike...        Yes i did say my bike! ...

It's time to live the dream!

I’m Going to cycle from my home in Lewes, East Sussex to West Africa:

First to Newhaven, then take the ferry to Dieppe, across France, over The Pyrenees and then follow the Camino de Santiago west to Galicia, then south through Portugal and on to Andalucía in the south of Spain. I’ll take the boat from Tarifa across the straights of Gibraltar to land in Africa at Tangiers, then south through Morocco from the Atlas Mountains to the Sahara Desert. Across Western Sahara and Mauritania from sand dunes to the Sahel and into Senegal and then to The Gambia. Following the river Gambia I’ll head east into Mali and then, well who knows, maybe I’ll turn round and come home again.

The motivation for the trip is simply to follow my heart in its quest for rich experience and adventure but the project is developing in all kinds of ways and on many levels:

• I will be travelling, somehow, with my guitar on my bike so I hope to seek out teachers in Spain and in West Africa and learn from the beautiful guitar styles from these regions, from flamenco to the desert blues. I hope to spend time studying music and get prolific writing songs from the dusty roads and bit of busking and performing en route I’m sure.

• I am linking with Carlton hill Primary School in Brighton where Movingsounds has been running projects for the last year. The children will be able to follow my progress, receive blogs about my journey and even ask me questions along the way.

• Sustrans’ sustainable transport team will also support school’s projects, with ‘Bike it Ben’ kindly helping out with the project. Children will be able to learn about the different challenges that I’ll face on such a journey but also explore the different cultures, music and geography of the different countries along the way. There will also be a strong focus on the environmental reasons for travelling by bike and so children will learn about the impact that we are having on our planet.

• The whole journey will be fossil fuel free (apart from a couple of short Ferries) and so education work will also focus on environmental issues of climate change and peak oil. The whole journey will indeed model our vision of sustainable solutions in the face of these epic challenges: Empowerment, creativity and low impact living.

• I will be working with 'Substantial Films' and 'A Purpose For Life Foundation' to document my adventure and the education work of Movingsounds. Check 'em out at http://substantialfilms.co.uk/ and also

at http://visions-series.com/index.htm/

• Through sponsorship from everyday people such as your good self I will raise money for a small charity in The Gambia called Fresh Start Foundation (check them out at http://fsfgambia.org/). They work with vulnerable children in poorer areas but are also developing a sustainable forestry project and working with schools in the region exploring environmental issues and their changing climate. I will visit these schools and run workshops in the local villages around these themes.

• The Fresh Start Foundation also supports Kwinella Primary School in the Gambia with which I have had a connection for 16 years and I am so happy to be able to give a little back for the generosity that they have always shown me.

• There will also be a possibility to connect the school children from Carlton Hill with the village schools in The Gambia where I will be working.

• A portion of the money raised through sponsorship (25%) will go towards the costs of the trip and school visits to Carlton Hill School in Brighton. the remaining 75% will go directly to support the work of the Fresh Start Foundation in The Gambia.

• It will of course be an inner journey for my self, exploring themes of pilgrimage and a time in the wilderness. It’s about 5000 miles so that’s plenty of time to contemplate life and my real purpose in these incredible times. I will be keeping a journal and hope, ultimately to write a book of my adventures.

• The trip is a radical statement of re-empowerment, environmentalism and cross cultural understanding that I hope will inspire others to truly live their dreams and work for a better world in harmony with one another and our home: the earth that we all share.

I will be leaving on the morning of the 5th September and will be part of The Phoenix Village Fair 3rd September, Performing with our band, Dende and promoting the project.

ONE LOvE