GIDEON BAWS MEMORIAL
FUND at CRY
“It
is estimated that each week, in the UK alone, 12 young people between the ages
of 14 to 35 die from an unsuspected heart condition” (CRY – Cardiac Risk in the
Young)
This year will see the fourth
CRY cardiac screening which we have managed to arrange close to where we live. Each
of these events has the facilities and expertise available to screen up to 100 young
people in the age group 14 to 35 in one day. Happily, the majority are found to
be fit and well with no heart issues but if problems are indicated then early
measures can be taken.
The events are free to
attend, and the dedicated medical and auxiliary staff give their services
gladly, but of course there are also the costs of transport, specialist
equipment, premises hire, insurance and so on. All of which means that this
year the fund needs another £2500 by
April to cover the event. If we are lucky enough to exceed this figure, any
surplus will go towards funding future screenings.
To help raise money, I am
going on a little adventure.
“4 Dips - 2 Clips - 1 Trip - 1
Strip!”
Two of Gideon’s favourite
pastimes were swimming and cycling. When the children were young, we gravitated
to Wales each year for the long summer holidays, camping just outside
Machynlleth. This is where his passions for the great outdoors were fixed even
though the terrain was challenging, the weather changeable and the water ‘a bit
on the chilly side’.
The year before he died,
Gideon and I spent a magic week in Wales - hill-walking and rambling around. He
had promised to have a one-to-one holiday with each of us; he took Lucy to
Barcelona and Sam to snow-board in Andorra. Wales was my choice, and very
wonderful it was. (Sadly, he never did make it to Venice with Suzie, but we
have since made good his promise).
I thought it would be a nice
way to raise money in Gideon’s memory by re-tracing those days in Wales,
swimming and cycling and walking in Gideon’s footsteps, asking friends to participate
by way of a donation towards the cost of the cardiac screening, at say £10 a dip, clip or trip. You can do this easily via the dedicated Just Giving page - the link is in the list on the right, but here it is again:
Naturally I shall pay all
the actual touring costs myself. So please, please give what you can to make
this event possible.
And here’s the plan Stan:
THE
DIPS
Aberystwyth.
The promenade beach is shingly, curved and uncompromising. The water is
unwelcoming and usually quite rough. Seaweed is rife. “Come on kids – you’ll
love it once you’re in!"
One summer when we were camping at Machynlleth I somehow forgot to put Gid’s ‘Raleigh Burner’ on the roof-rack. I arranged for it to be collected from home and put on a train at Southend for collection at Aberystwyth station where I picked it up. Many years later, we spent a night here when he had an interview following an offer of a place at the University of Aberystwyth. The School of Art is an imposing building. Being a committed Cambrophile (!) I loved it, but Gideon knew that the course he wanted to follow lay elsewhere – (or else he had never forgiven me for forgetting his ‘bike).
Borth:
Mid-way between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth, I have never seen Borth in
sunshine. Even to Lynne Truss, the phrase ‘Borth bathed in sunshine’ would
present a challenge. Most outings were
spent shivering under a picnic blanket. The beach contains the petrified
remains of an ancient forest. I’m surprised that it does not contain the
petrified remains of the Baws family.
Furnace:
Opposite the farm where we used to stay. This is the site of an old
blast-furnace, hence the name. It was powered by water from the River Einion. At
this point the river cascades over rocks, to form a waterfall and a deep pool
below. This is where we swam. It is unbelievably, breath-stealingly cold but
Gideon could not be persuaded to come out until his feet turned yellow and his
lips turned blue.
Barmouth
: I am sure there is water here somewhere but the tide recedes so far that it
is difficult to find. Gideon swore he swam but he was quite dry when he
returned, so it must have been a long walk back.
THE
CLIPS
A dedicated cycle path
runs along the disused railway track along the Mawddach estuary. I shall be
riding Gideon’s lovely Marin Palisade mountain bike from Dolgellau to Barmouth,
having a dip there before the ride back. I have walked this path and the surface
is loose chippings. I shall be protecting both my legs and the sensitivity of
onlookers by wearing trousers as opposed to shorts, hence the clips; bicycle,
two, for the use of.
THE
TRIP
On that last walking
holiday, Gideon and I climbed in the Black Mountains near Abergavenny. I shall
re-trace one of those walks, to the summit of The Skirrid and Gids will be with
me every inch of the way.
THE
STRIP
This has nothing to do
with the rather saucy photo of myself which appears elsewhere. The clue is
Bingo callers’ shorthand for my age. Sorry.
Thank you for your
support. Embarrassing photos of myself performing these tasks will appear here and across the internet in due course.
AND
FINALLY…..
Despite my feeble
attempts at learning the language over the course of umpteen years, I remain
rooted to the nursery slopes. As an additional challenge, I intend to undertake
this mission entirely through the medium of murdered Welsh.
Here's that link again:
Thank you very much.
Tony B.