Two Royal Navy Senior Ratings and a Royal Navy veteran recently walked from the home of English Rugby to the home of Welsh Rugby to raise funds for Help for Heroes.
Chief Petty Officers (CPOs) Andy “Gibbo” Gibbs & Philip “Knocker” White, both serving at HMS Collingwood and James “JC” Cameron-Wood, a member of Black Rod’s staff at the House of Lords, started the 180 mile journey at Twickenham aiming to carry the Gilbert match ball for the Wales v England RBS 6 Nations fixture in Cardiff on 11th February 2017.
Day four of the trek saw a substitution when “JC” returned to his day job to be replaced by CPO Kev Bentley, also from HMS Collingwood, as they passed the halfway point in Gloucestershire, crossing the Forest of Dean and heading into Wales on schedule to deliver the ball to Welsh Captain Alun Wyn Jones at the Captain’s run on 10th February.
CPO “Gibbo” Gibbs, a veteran of five similar walks said, “This has been one of best organised and executed walks we have carried out which was well supported on both sides of the border by rugby clubs and local and national press.
“Morale never waned, even in the pouring rain that welcomed us to Wales on Tuesday.”
He went on to thank their generous supporters Heineken UK, Crabbie’s UK, their vehicle sponsor Essex Auto Group and their kit sponsor Gilbert Rugby, without whose combined and continued support this event would not have been possible.
The team not only raised £5,580 for Help for Heroes on the walk, but crucially, also increased the profile of the charity’s work along the route.
The team are now only £7,300 away from raising a total of £500,000 for the charity since November 2008.
You can follow their efforts via Twitter @TEAMDIFH, or Facebook at www.facebook.com/doingitforheroes and donations can be made through www.justgiving.com/DIFH
