Newsletter - June 2023
Hi everyone,
We were saddened to learn of the passing of Tim James last week. He died peacefully in his sleep on 17th May. He had been ill for some time, but the timing of his death was sooner than expected. Throughout the years, Tim has been a dear walking friend to all of us in the Wiltshire group and will be dearly missed by all of us. I shall remember him as a softly spoken, gentle giant. A thoroughly nice guy.
Carol thanks you for all the lovely messages she has received. Our sincerest condolences go out to Carol and his family. His funeral will take place tomorrow, Thursday 1st June at 4.15pm at the West Wiltshire Crematorium, Semington.
Elephant, Bear and Bull (EBB) 100
The LDWA's flagship event took place over the spring bank holiday weekend, with 9 members of the Wiltshire group entered. 8 made it the whole way round. Congratulations go to Duncan Baber, Di Cross, Dave Myers, Dave Purdy, Lucy Robins, Jon Sreeves, John Walker and Evelyne Wilkinson. In total 344 of the 455 entrants (75%) completed the course. I started to develop 'the lean' before the halfway point, but continued to Checkpoint 9 in Warwick, where I retired. 56 miles was a new personal best distance for me, so I'm well pleased with my walk. A personal thank you to John Walker for persuading me to take part, and for keeping me company. I'm undeterred by not reaching the end, to the point where I'm already think about entering the 2025 event!
A huge thank you to all the volunteers who made it a successful event, including those from the Wiltshire group. Please make yourselves known to me so I can thank you in the next newsletter.
On the whole it was a fabulous weekend. The route was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting to everyone I knew either at the start, or in passing during the event. My only gripe was the absence of gluten-free food options at the checkpoints, despite me paying the same entrance fee as everyone else! I only made it as far as I did thanks to the Premier Inn breakfast. The LDWA's 100s coordinator was aware of issue prior to the event, and I will be talking to her again soon. I also expect it to be a topic of conversation at the Local Groups Weekend later in the year.
Forthcoming Walks
Finally, here's the usual look ahead to all the group walks and challenge events that are taking place this month within a 50-mile radius of Chippenham.
| Date | Name | Type | Mileage | Organiser |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 4th Jun 2023 | Cotswold Tour | Group | 15 miles | Wiltshire |
| Sat 10th Jun 2023 | Lansdown figure of 8 | Group | 7.5 miles | Bristol & West |
| Thu 15th Jun 2023 | Bit of this, Bit of that | Group | 15 miles | Wiltshire |
| Thu 15th Jun 2023 | Evening walk: Lansdown Amble | Group | 5.5 miles | Bristol & West |
| Sat 17th Jun 2023 | For Whom the Golden Bells Toll | Group | 25 miles | South Wales |
| Sat 17th Jun 2023 | Wychavon Way - Stage 1 - Droitwich to Pershore | Group | 20 miles | Heart of England |
| Sun 18th Jun 2023 | Awakening a Monster | Group | 21 miles | Dorset |
| Sat 24th Jun 2023 | A Midsummer Leg Stretch | Group | 35 miles | Wiltshire |
| Sat 24th Jun 2023 | Box figure of 8 | Group | 14 miles | Bristol & West |
| Tue 27th Jun 2023 | A Summer Afternoon / Evening Stroll | Group | 13 miles | Dorset |
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That's it for another newsletter. All our newsletters are available via the Wiltshire LDWA website. If you have anything to contribute to future editions, please can you get it to me by the 20th of each month. I look forward to seeing you out on our group walks this month.
Warmest regards
Clive
Secretary of the Wiltshire LDWA
wiltshire.secretary@ldwa.org.uk
