Lincoln To London Sponsored Walk
27 August 2011 - 2 September 2011
In aid of COAP and NACOA

Introduction

I'm James, I'm 26 years old, and on 3 October 2010, three days after my birthday, my Father was taken into hospital where he died aged 60.  He didn't die from a heart attack, he didn't die from cancer, or even from a trauma injury.  He'd been slowly killing himself for the past 20 years by drinking alcohol.

I'm a child of an alcoholic.  It's hard.  Have you ever been so upset by someone that you literally pray for them to die so the stop hurting you?  Have you ever sat for decades and watched one person literally take over and destroy the lives of everyone around them?  As a child, did you ever feel the need to check on your sleeping parent to check they were still alive?  Have you ever received a can of Tango for Christmas because you Dad spent all his money on vodka?

I did and I have.  Thankfully, I'm one of the lucky ones.  I've managed to come out the other side as a responsible and hard
working adult and I'm using my own past experiences to help other young people who find themselves in the same dire situation.

The Charities

The walk is being done in aid of COAP (Children of Addicted Parents and People) and NACOA (National Association for Children of Alcoholics).  Both do a fantastic job and I only wish I'd know of their existence when I was younger.  I am an active online mentor for young members of COAP and I hope to become more involved with the work of NACOA in the near future.

More details of the charities can be found by clicking the 'Charities' link at the top of this page.

www.coap.co.uk
www.nacoa.org.uk

Where & When?

The walk will start at Lincoln Cathedral at 8am on Saturday 27 August 2011 and we aim to reach Trafalgar Square, London on Friday 2 September.

How Can I Get Involved?

WE NEED WALKERS!:
Anyone is more than welcome to join me for the whole walk or even just a mile.  The more the merrier!  If you'd like to come along then please use the form below to email me and I'll be in touch, usually within a few hours.

ACCOMMODATION:
Staying in hotels is expensive and we're looking to complete the walk as cheaply as possible so that the charities receive every penny we raise.  In order to do this we're going to be staying in tents but we need somewhere to pitch them.  Do you have or know of a small area or land/large garden we can use for one or two nights?  Please check the 'route' link above to see where we will be stopping and if you can help, please get in touch using the form below.  If you are a business then I'm more than happy to link your website on our thank you page should you so wish.

MEDIA:
More publicity = more money, but we're also trying to get the message across that the alcohol consumption of parents and family members affects more young people than the public think.  Do you have media contacts that would be happy to publish a story?  I'm more than happy to do interviews and I'm hoping to have some sort of news outlet in every town we stop over in.

    Get In Touch