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Rotary Pilgrims on the Brink
Rotary Silves are on count-down in their preparations for the long 120 km march from the Portuguese border to Santiago de Compostela. All ten participants are off on regular training walks to tone up muscles which have been neglected over the covid-19 years.
None more so than that “Dad’s Army” type pilgrim, the 82 year old David Butler-Cole. Compared to some of the younger brethren, he has had no major bodily disaster – though he does complain of Creaky Knee Syndrome. This problem is probably as much mental as physical. To boost his confidence he has recently purchased a pair of Norwegian walking poles on the internet, purporting to come from Germany. When David opened the package he found a dreaded “Made In PRC” label. Shouldn’t they have kept to chopsticks? Will the poles collapse under a gruelling day’s walk? Watch this space, and you will find out!
David, along with the whole Rotary Silves team, have committed themselves to this pilgrimage in order to gain support from the public in their quest to raise funds to equip a much needed sensory room to help autistic children and their teachers at the Silves Sul school in Armação de Pera. Each Rotarian will be carrying the personal mascot on the walk given them by a class from the school. The kids will be able to follow the progress of the mascot through daily contact with the team.
Will you help us? You can sponsor David personally or all ten Rotary Pilgrims in aid of this good cause. All money raised will go directly to this project. Please donate now whatever you can at internet site GoFundMe.com via Rotary page “Help Pilgrims Change Kids Lives.”
The walk starts on Sept. 23rd and the survivors will hopefully totter into Santiago by Sept. 30. If no one makes it, you can ask for your money back!
Camino walk aids hip replacement recovery
Sue Butler Cole and Alan Winn are two of the Silves Rotary Club members taking part in the Change Kids Lives Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in a weeks’ time.
Both have had hip replacement operations earlier this year. At the end of January, Alan had a planned operation in preparation for the walk to come. Sue had one, a few weeks later after a fall that left her with a broken hip.
The desire to be part of the fundraising to enable Agrupamento Silves Sul School in Armaçao de Pêra to create a sensory room and garden area for Autistic and Downs Syndrome children as young as 3 was their inspiration to move past the painful recovery and be fit enough to take part.
Although Alan is carrying a tendon injury in his left leg he is still determined to complete his stages of the walk. He will share the 120km journey with his wife of almost 50 years Pam.
Sue is sharing her journey with octogenarian husband David who is also determined to make a difference and help those children have a better and more fulfilled life.
We hope that the walk by Silves Rotary Club members and friends will meet its fundraising target and you can help by make a donation. A donation of 5€ makes a difference when hundreds are inspired to give. The walkers themselves are funding the accommodation on route so that 100% of the money we receive will go to the project.
You can donate now at GoFundMe.com via our page “Help Pilgrims Change Kids Lives”
For more information email MOC.rotarysilves@gmail.com
Or Tel. 912584999
Help us make a difference!
Pilgrim survives major car accident.
You may have thought pilgrims went out with the Middle Ages – wandering around supported by their staffs with an unwashed aroma emanating from their soiled robes. Not so. The modern day pilgrim is an athlete striding out purposely, nose to a satnav, covering as many kilometres as possible to achieve their physical or spiritual goal.
The pilgrims of Silves Rotary Club are made of such stuff. Ready to climb mountains, swim rivers, in their quest to cover the 120 kilometres from the Portuguese border to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Ten pilgrims we are now, honed by route marches through inhospitable Algarvean terrain in burning temperatures. In the peak of fitness? Well, sort of – we are human after all – and with an average age of seventy, subject to bit of wear and tear.
Take, for example, Jim Kennedy, brimming with energy, always striding ahead of the rest on training walks. You could count on Jim. This pilgrimage would be a doddle for him. But fate dealt a cruel blow in the form of a horrendous accident in July on a UK motorway. His car was struck by a lorry at 60 mph. He was spun from the slow lane into the lorry´s wheels and across four lanes before coming to a stop in the fast lane. It was a miracle that he lives to tell the tale. He suffered no major injury; muscle damage has left him in pain and with difficulty in walking.
Surely Jim would pull out of the pilgrimage? No! Jim says his close escape has focussed him on how lucky he was. He is glad to help fund the project to equip a much needed sensory room and garden at Agrupamento Silves Sul school in Armação de Pera to help children with learning difficulties adjust to school life.
Will you sponsor Jim and our other pilgrims? The money we raise for this project will change the lives of children and those helping them.
You can donate now at GoFundMe.com via our page “Help Pilgrims Change Kids Lives”
For more information email MOC.rotarysilves@gmail.com
Or Tel. 912584999
Help us make a difference!
Three Weeks to Go
3 Weeks to go to the Silves Rotary Club Pilgrimage
Another week closer to our pilgrimage and the final training programme is underway. This week a 7km walk around the junction of the Odelouca and Arade rivers is our gentle reintroduction after the heat of the summer. Just one of a number training walks over the last few months walk leader Philippe has organized to get the Silves Rotary Club team fit for the challenge.
Why go through the challenge? We hope to inspire you to make a donation or sponsor a pilgrim so that we can resource a much needed sensory room and garden for Autistic and Downs syndrome children in Agrupamento Escolas Silves Sul. The children need a calm, safe haven to enable them to benefit fully from their time in school.
You can see from Philippe’s bio he is not new to the Camino having walked from France to Santiago some years ago with his family. He has also walked our route along with wife Carmen in June in preparation for the main event in just over three weeks’ time. His meticulous preparation and encouragement is all part of the support in place for those in the group who are older and carrying more injuries or health issues. We will introduce all the pilgrims over the next few weeks.
First: Philippe, mid 60s
He says I am a new Rotary member. I retired, a couple of years ago, from an international career, mainly in Operations leadership roles. My focus was always been around developing a meaningful purpose and rallying groups to achieve their goals through intensive teamwork.
I have never stopped practicing physical activities: running 2-3 times / week until my mid 50’s and during the last 10 years, walking on a daily basis. Some heart issues required the placement of a stent and a heart ablation was needed to eliminate arrhythmia.
Why I become a pilgrim?
Our family (spouse and two children) always loved nature and hiking. We have completed the French Camino de Santiago in 5 stages, over 5 years’ vacations. This Portuguese Camino project addresses several personal objectives: a noble purpose to help disabled children, teamwork to support each participant to make it to Santiago, physical exercise and enjoyment of the beautiful nature and landscapes.
Team Member: Petra Vahle-Francis, Mid sixties
Petra says: Having spent over 30 years performing classical music day and night, I was curious to learn something new. Curiosity drove me to the World Peace Academy at University of Basel, where I graduated with a diploma in Peace and Conflict Transformation, followed by a professional development diploma in conflict resolution from the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Together with my husband, I founded the “Corridors of Peace” Organisation in Switzerland, catering for refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and all those living on the margins in different societies, home and abroad.
Luckily no major health issues yet, but had a serious fall causing dental replacement some 5 years ago. Definitely not as good as I used to be; with transition comes great challenges: in moving from Switzerland to the beautiful Algarve, I have not found a solid rhythm yet, but I will get there soon.
Why I become a pilgrim:
Since 2002 I have wanted to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela but could not find the right time, group or persons to walk with. On a visit to Silves Rotary Club here in the Algarve, I was lucky to experience an inspiring lecture by Philippe Pfister, who has prepared all the logistics and background information for clubs Camino de Santiago de Compostela walk, to raise funds for children with learning difficulties. I feel it is a golden opportunity to walk with people of similar sensibilities. I am grateful to join this noble rotary project.
You can donate now at GoFundMe.com via our page “Help Pilgrims Change Kids Lives”
For more information email MOC.rotarysilves@gmail.com
Or Tel. 912584999
Help us make a difference!
Trying Walk
Saturday 14 May was the latest training day for our sponsored walk to Santiago de Compostela.
7 club members took part in a two stage walk around the Alvor and Mexilhoeira Grande areas. Stage one included areas around the estuary with its cooling breezes and flamingos and stage two further in land amongst fields of poppies.
Each part was approximately 7.5km in length and so older members who will walk the Camino as a team were able to walk the shorter distance where fitter members were able to complete the full distance.
Further training walks will take place before the summer and in the early autumn in readiness for the sponsored walk starting in Valence on 23 September.
The club is hoping to raise sufficient money to complete the funding of a sensory room and safe outside area for children between 4 and 9 years with autism, Downs Syndrome and other disabilities in the Agroupamento Silves Sul school campus in Armacao de Pera.
The school has a similar facility on its Algoz campus for older children from the age of 10 upwards.
The club has already raised over 4000€ from the concert at the end of April.
RC Silves has a strong commitment to supporting our community and will continue to make a difference to the lives of those less fortunate.
COOL MANOUCHE – OH SO COOL!
On Saturday 30 April, Rotary Silves gave a highly successful concert to a packed house in the Teatro Mascarenhas Gregorio in Silves. The concert featured the well-known group Cool Manouche, Playing their very special gypsy jazz, they entertained the audience royally with classics such as Django Reinhardt’s “Minor Swing” and “Nuages”.
Our thanks go to Câmara de Silves for allowing us to use the theatre. Rotary Silves donated the proceeds from ticket sales, a total amount of €3,900.00, to Agrupamento Escolas Silves Sul, headed by Carlos Silva Diretor do Agrupamento. The sum will go towards their project to build and equip a sensory room and a sensory garden in Armação de Pera to help students with learning difficulties to find peace of mind.
The longest training walk yet!
You may ask what we are training for. Well Philippe came up with the idea of a Rotary charity walk to Santiago de Compostelo. No, not from Silves. We would start instead from the north of Portugal and walk through to Santiago itself. This is some 120 kms which we hope to complete within a week – that means about 20 kms per day. All in aid of a much needed Sensory Room and Garden for Armancao de Pera School’s challenged children.
Philippe has started slowly with our training programme. Walk number 5 on Saturday 16 April of 13 kms was around the Barragem do Arade, just over half of what we will be expected to manage on a daily basis on the course itself.
Our starting point
View from the Top
Still smiling half way round
Only two made it the full distance, so we need to gear up to a fitness not yet apparent in our members, who by my calculations on average will never celebrate their seventieth birthday again.
Two Survivors
We will be asking the public to sponsor or donate to members who complete this Olympian challenge. To help them, we will be giving details of the participants in the forthcoming weeks. Follow this space
RC Silves in Training!
We had the original baker’s dozen on parade again this Saturday, except Pam and Alan Winn who sent in “sickies”. Today our leader, Philippe, has chosen another scenic walk through the Salgados wetland reserve between Galé and Armação de Pera. A distance of 7 kms which our gang covered in two hours
You may ask what we are training for. Well Philippe came up with the idea of a Rotary charity walk to Santiago de Compostelo. No, not from Silves. We would start instead from the north of Portugal and walk through to Santiago itself. This is some 120 kms which we hope to complete within a week – that means 20 kms per day, with the last pilgrimage bit on our knees.
So, Philippe is starting slowly with this training programme. Our current walk of 7 kms is just a third of what we will be expected to manage on a daily basis on the course itself. So we need to gear up to a fitness not yet apparent in our dozen, who by my calculations on average will never celebrate their seventieth birthday again. We do not expect to be equipping them with zimmer frames but the odd bengala may be required.
We will be asking the public to bet on which members will manage to complete this Olympian challenge within the week. To help them, we will be giving details of the participants in the forthcoming weeks during the training and their current physical state. Follow this space
Walking in the Algarve
RC Silves looks at many ways to raise funds for our community in Silves and to do it through fellowship. We are looking at many possibilities for fundraising one of which focuses on exercise. To get ready for this possible challenge we have started some training walks. The first was a 7K walk around the Arade and Odelouca Rivers. A bakers dozen took part and all managed it well. Two members who were back in the UK joined us in spirit. They walked in the snow and ice. Much Chillier.
Rotary Silves Shoeboxes
Every year RC Silves contributes to the Castelo de Sonhos Shoe box appeal. This provides Christmas gifts to the families in need at Christmas. The first of the RC Silves shoe boxes were delivered to the Holiday Inn today. Making RC Silves total 30 so far with more to come. The appeal aims to provide 250 families with a gift this Christmas.
Rotary Clube de Silves 