Funding update Just 12 weeks to go before I set off on my third and final leg of trekking from the south to the northern tip of Sri Lanka. I’ve currently raised £25,000 of my …
Continue readingCategory: Trek planning
More exciting connections – Nov ‘23 update
One of the great raffle prizes for 24 November – Electric Storm Flights now booked for next March for the final stage of my and Gill’s trek across Sri Lanka. £23,363 (77%) of my £30k …
Continue readingI can see clearly now . . . September 2023 Update
I can see clearly now . . . The many hundreds of pairs of spectacles I had shipped out in April this year arrived just a couple of months ago at Colombo Shipping Port. They …
Continue readingAugust 2023 update
The 10th anniversary of the passing of Pearl Stephen The 31st July this year was the anniversary of the death of Pearl Stephen who was my inspiration for returning to Sri Lanka to volunteer following …
Continue readingBlog 4 – day 2 of trek
Descent from Medakallie village Left Medakallie village for our 2 hour descent to a bus stop where we got picked up and taken to the nearest town. The wiggly path we trekked down, the villagers’ …
Continue readingBlog 3 – Day 1 of trek – to Medakallie Village (the middle of the jungle)
Leech-land Both of us got bitten by leeches pretty much as soon as we set off on our jungle trek to Medakallie village, but Kiran’s was worse as her blood stains looked like she’d been …
Continue readingDay 2 Kirimatiya – a Tamil village in the hills and Kiran’s arrival!
An early tuk tuk trip today with Susantha to WDC where I dropped off the donation of children’s clothes, school stationery, spectacle frames and medicines. And then to Kirimatiya, the Tamil village in the hills …
Continue readingArrived . . .
Smooth 10 hour overnight flight from Heathrow to Colombo with Sri Lankan airlines, the only airline that flies direct. Kiran close behind and should arrive tomorrow ready for trek beginning on Tuesday.


Safe taxi journey from Colombo to Kandy with a couple of stop-offs for a king coconut, a mango and chicken curry followed by a mango juice – and now I look like a 🥭 and only been here a few hours!

Fab driving through Kandy past familiar colonial sites such as the iconic clock tower, the old prison, Kandy lake, Queens and then eventually Hotel Suiss where I’ll be for next 2 nights.




Day 1
As we’re 5.5 hours ahead of UK time and with at best 2 hours sleep on the plane, I collapsed last night and didn’t wake until gone 10am and nearly missed breakfast. Now UK clocks went forward last eve we’re now only 4.5 hours ahead of the game! UKers are catch up with us.
Looking forward to Kiran arriving on Monday now and not today as she’s had flight dramas but in time to start trekking with me on Tuesday. Sounds like her flight problems will make a blog all by itself – she’s now flying via Chennai and as I’m writing this she should be in the air.
Women’s refuge
I visited the girls’ refuge today – the real reason for coming to Sri Lanka. It all started here. An example below of some sanitary kits the girls have learnt to make which are sold at markets around the country and for schools in the poorer rural communities. Each set lasts for approximately 2 years and as you can see comes in a discrete bag which the girls can carry in their school bag.

More pictures of the activity in the refuge in future blogs when wifi working better!
My evening was spent with Koush, Sri Lanka’s well known birder and trekker who we met last year in the Sinharaja rainforest, to finalise our exciting trek plans starting Tuesday.
If you missed the last blog then HERE it is.
Further sponsorship – if you’d like to help me to help those in need in Sri Lanka at this difficult time, whilst being assured every penny will go to those who need it, then please donate by clicking on this link. Don’t forget that if you’re a tax payer to declare gift aid when doing so which will increase your donation by 25% at no cost to you. Alternatively, if you know of anyone or any organisation who may have an interest in this cause please share this blog link with them
March 2023 – And we’re off . . .
There’s been a few changes since last month’s update: Gill can’t come now but Kiran can, for most of it anyway, and for all of the trekking part. As a result I’ve tweaked the schedule …
Continue readingFeb 2023 update – 50 day countdown
Our forest walk I’ve recently finished reading a mindfulness walking book that a friend gave me for Christmas. It captures some of what I’m looking forward to during our 4 days of trekking in the …
Continue readingJanuary 2023 update – 10 years
My 10th year anniversary 🙂 Top left: the late Pearl Stephen (Founder & Director of Women’s Development Centre), and Chandrathilika Liyanaarachchi (WDC’s Deputy Coordinator) on a trip with us to Nuwara Eliya. Right: Pearl Stephen …
Continue readingChristmas 2022 Sri Lanka update
Just 100 days to go until we begin Stage 2 of our trek across Sri Lanka where we’ll continue to raise awareness and funds to support vulnerable women and children there. See previous blog here …
Continue readingNovember 2022 update
In the news Since June this year there hasn’t been much about Sri Lanka’s economic crisis in our news. However, the situation is still very serious. On 28 October The Guardian printed a sobering article …
Continue reading£10k target achieved! Whoohoo!
Funding update Lots has happened in the month since we’ve returned from trekking all the way from Galle to Kandy in Sri Lanka to raise much-needed funds to support women and children in great need …
Continue readingBlog 15 – Final blog of Stage 1 (Galle – Kandy)
Round up The first stage of my charity trek across Sri Lanka (Galle to Kandy) is complete after 18 days and we’re now back home in the UK. Whilst our activity out there finished yesterday, …
Continue readingBlog 14 – Our last day – Royal Botanical Gardens & a trip to a woodcarving workshop
Peradeniya Botanical Gardens I’ve been to Kandy eight times now but never been to the historical Botanical gardens developed in the early 1800s and inspired by Kew Gardens, South West London. I’ve tried on several …
Continue readingBlog 13 – A visit to an ’unknown’ cave temple and then to the most popular Buddhist Temple in Sri Lanka
A ’secret’ temple in the Kurunegala jungle This is an extension of yesterday’s blog about the Sinhalese New Year’s celebration which we attended in the morning. After our roti and chilli lunch, Rev Ragama took …
Continue readingBlog 12 – Sinhalese New Year’s Festival in Kurunegala
As has become the norm now, we’re up before sunrise and out as the sun is rising. Today we were invited to a Sinhalese New Year village festival on the outskirts of Kurunegala by Rev. …
Continue readingBlog 11 – Women’s Development Centre (WDC)
Revisiting WDC Totally excited to be revisiting WDC administrative centre, but without Joe this time, and seeing all the staff there and introducing Gill to them. It’s been 4 years, due to Covid and the …
Continue readingBlog 10 – up the baby peak known as Little Adam’s Peak and sauntering around Horton Plains
Little Adam’s Peak We’ve still been suffering the aftermath of climbing Adam’s Peak a couple of days ago with our thighs and calves throbbing when we walk up and especially down steps. We’ve named the …
Continue reading