Hello, everyone!!

As project leader I thought I would kick-off the blog of the Autumn 2012 CWB Project to Uganda

When I had first heard about CWB it was a light bulb moment, ticking all the boxes for me as a slightly disenchanted cricket coach at a small club – doing some good for people less fortunate, seeing a bit of the world, involved cricket, etc., etc.

So off I went to Uganda in 2008 and had such a fantastic experience that I did always want to go back. It’s not the sort of thing I could do every year but it certainly was always in the back of my mind to head back.

4 years seemed a long enough gap to be able to break the news to my wife …. and to my fantastically supportive family and friends , that I was returning!!

I volunteered to be project leader as I thought that with having been before it would stand me in good stead and I am sure that will be true when we get there, however trying to book hotels in Uganda is not really made any easier because you have been there before! So my role so far has been beginning to pull the team together and information gathering for the charity, arranging the best value for money with flights, finding and booking hotels to suit the programme we have been presented with and generally liaising with everyone involved. It’s been good fun and I do feel I know the team quite well already despite the fact that we haven’t yet met.

Fund raising has been a big part of my preparation and everyone has been so generous – I set myself a bit of a bold goal of raising £1,000, which I was pretty confident of reaching but would take some doing; but to now to be sat here at £2,000 is superb and I thank all my supporters once again.

For my part I completed a local 10k on June 24th (first since 2008!) – was absolutely jiggered afterwards but pleased with the result – 52 mins not too bad for an old boy!! I tried to finish with my usual sprint as well, but slowing up too quick my feet slipped on the wet grass and slid across the finish line on my backside, much to everyone’s amusement!!

A month later we had a fantastic response to my fundraising cricket match at my club on Sunday 29th July – my thanks to all who helped, BBQed, cut grass, served drinks, travelled long distances, played, came to watch, etc! We raised a superb £420 on the day and it was a good game with my CWB XI managing to finish victorious.

So here we are, 3 weeks or so to go – flights booked, hotels nearly sorted, funds raised, training weekend to look forward to – what can possibly go wrong!?

If you would like to follow our blog no doubt you will find out!

John Morton – Project Leader