English cricket legend and Laureus World Sports Academy Member Sir Ian Botham has just one day to go to complete Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk which is raising funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
Sir Ian reached Galle in Sri Lanka today after the seventh day of his epic trek from north to south across the country and is no w just 20 miles away from the finishing line in Seenigama.
And though blisters are sore and feet are tired, Sir Ian was looking forward to tomorrow. Sir Ian said: “The hard work is done when it comes to the walking now and we’ve raised some fantastic awareness. Now we just need to get through the final day and make sure those donations keep coming in. Tomorrow is no small challenge, though, nearly 20 miles. But we’ll be walking with beautiful beach views almost the whole way, so I know it’ll be a lot of fun.”
Funds raised from Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk, from the north to the south of the country, staged with the backing of SriLankan Airlines and Sri Lanka Tourism, will go to help sports-based community projects, including those operated by the Foundation of Goodness in Sri Lanka with the support of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
Beefy will be completing his walk in Seenigama, , home of Foundation of Goodness, where Laureus efforts have successfully helped rebuild a community sports centre following the 2004 Tsunami. Sir Ian will have maintained an average pace of 20 miles a day for eight days in the Sri Lankan heat to reach there.
Over the period of the Walk, many great cricketers such as Australian captains Steve Waugh and Allan Border and Indian and Sri Lankan stars Sourav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakarra, plus rugby legend Morné du Plessis, have all pledged to join Sir Ian at various stages to support him.
Since the mid-1980s, Sir Ian has taken part in a series of high profile walks, including John O’Groats to Land’s End in the United Kingdom, the 9 Valleys in Wales and th e Hannibal Walk in the Alps. He says Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk will raise funds for a cause he is passionate about.
After the Tsunami of 2004, which devastated parts of the country, killed 35,000 people and displaced over 500,000, Sir Ian went to Sri Lanka, on behalf of Laureus, to assess the situation and see what could be done to help. He saw how the creation of a sports-based project in the village of Seenigama could play a significant role in the rebuilding of the community.
Since then Laureus has worked with the Foundation of Goodness in Sri Lanka by providing funds and expertise to help build sports facilities and supply coaching for young people in the rural communities. Seenigama Sports has helped the region to recover its community spirit and rebuild lives, especially through the love of cricket.
Now, many years on, following the ending of the country’s civil war, Laureus, working again with the Foundation of Goodness, is supporting the creation of a second project, this time in the town of Mankulam, in the north of the country, helping children from the two communities to play sport together and to learn to live in harmony.
Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk has been made possible by official Walk partners SriLankan Airlines and Sri Lanka Tourism and associate sponsors Global Rubber Industries (Pvt) Ltd and Lycamobile. Paradise Vacations UK have provided packages for those who wish to join Sir Ian on the Walk. Those who wish to join the Walk can sign up at www.beefysbigsrilankawalk.com or come to the Registration Desk at the start of the day to sign up and join the challenge.
Sir Ian said: “A great many organisations and people have been working ha rd for a long time to put my Sri Lanka Walk together and I would like to thank them. They have all shown their commitment to help young people and I could not be setting off on this great adventure without their backing.”
The itinerary for the last day of Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk is:
Day 8: November 8 – Galle to Seenigama
Start: 0800 at Galle Cargills Food City
Finish: 1230 at Seenigama Cricket Ground
