Sholing Philippines Project 2010 – 2016

Day 6 – Backbarrow to Johnstonebrige – 101 Miles – Today started in high spirits after a lush evening and morning with Mick who set a blistering pace straight out of the blocks. A tough 1100 ft climb at the start of the day up “shap”. Little trip through Carlisle and then into Scotland and a tough headwind that slowed us down abit but now finished and re fuelled with a macdonlds. Big thanks to Mick for the continued support and Inspiration today.

Day 5 – Crewe to Backbarrow – 120 Miles – Great days riding with many miles covered in a shortish space of time. After a average of 14.5 Mph over the first 30 miles we knew our luck had changed , this was helped by flatter roads and a good playlist. Small puncture with 24 miles to go was changed like a F1 pit stop and now arrived and are with Mick being cared for very well.

Day 4 – Newant to Crewe – 117 Miles – A day not to remember , the worst and hardest and most annoying day we have encountered. Cannel paths signed as cycle routes that were effectivly just grass that was so muddy we found our selfs walking for periods. Then after finally leaving it with around 15 miles to go Harry then got a puncture. 12 Hours on the road and Brocken backs but we have made it to Crewe. Thanks Everybody for your continued support.

Day 3 – Bodmin to Newant – 92 Miles – Started today with a nice opening 20 miles along by a cannel only slightly tainted by freezing cold conditions. Flat roads were a welcome site today after yesterday’s hills. Broken Chain was our first encounter with bike problems today that meant a 2 mile walk was needed for repairs. However quick route deviation over the seven bridge into Wales very breifly helped us to make up time. Finished the day with a race against some locals into Newant that was very silly but a good laugh. Now at the Hall household where we have been created by a very inviting Rachel and Ben 🙂

Bodmin to Taunton (100 miles)

Today has been very testing. We climbed over 6,000 feet and the hills very probably the toughest and most challenging thing we have faced so far. Stunning views of hills and more hills (only worth looking at them on the way down because on the way up they make you want to cry. Also today featured our first route disagreement with google but we have arrived safe and were greeting by Jacob’s parents.

Day 1 – Lands End to Bodmin – 67 Miles – Lovley weather, sun was out and very little wind so decent riding conditions , very hilly day with many many feet climbed. Apart from a couple of issues with googles idea of a road and this leading to climbing a fence to get onto the A30 , ’twas a relatively uneventful voyage. No Injuries to report and just about to dig into a beef lasagna 🙌🚵

Hi All at last I think I have cracked it. If this works I will do more. Wilko is going to put a selection in photos next week in the meantime I will upload some more of the rebuilding project. These show the progression of the playground construction over 5 days and then the grand opening. As you can see the village is quite pretty particularly compared with Tondo. The centre of the town consists of the square where we built playground and the surrounding buildings are quite grand but they had all been very badly damaged in the Typhoon Yolanda last year. For example the gym where we were laying out the equipment has lost 40% of its metal roof unfortunately they have no possibility to repair it without funds. The school and college had also lost well over half their roof. Most of the people live in basic wood houses and like Manila, but on a much smaller scale, there are some more affluent areas where there are brick houses. The areas just outside the village where the most people live are poor fishing and farming communities still very much ‘subsistence living’ ie getting enough money to buy food for the day each day. There is some tourism but Yolanda has very badly damaged most of that putting many people out of work. There were approx. 500 people turned out for the opening of the playground the Mayor was very emotional and genuinely appreciative of what we have left behind.

Well then there are 2 just me and Mrs Freeza for 1 more night. Bezza has just gone to the airport for his 1-00 flight home, we follow tomorrow afternoon. We have had 2 days at the Tondo school. I have been working with 22 delightful teachers 15 of them new to the profession full of enthusiasm to start the new term. I feel confident that they have the right skills and attitudes to continue the work of this remarkable little charity which does so much with so little for so many.

On a less positive note when we returned to Tondo we were greeted with the news that the government were clearing the shanties on the dump site the land is going to be ‘redeveloped’ as part of the port. We are not sure yet how many families will be displaced but a significant area where we have worked will be bulldozed. in many ways you could say it is about time but you must ask what does this mean for the families?

As far as we know at this time they are being offered a choice of a resettlement home away from manila or 40000 pesos compensation. It all depends on where this new home is and does it offer a chance for work and education. without work they will return to the slums of manila because even the prospect of picking litter or begging is better that no chance of making enough money to live in the provinces. We will wait to see but it does look as though the shanties we helped to build 4 years ago will be bulldozed in the next few days. Mrs Freeza met one of the families today and they were far from their normal friendly welcoming attitudes, they were angry and afraid for what the future will hold.

As for the school it is unsure about which children will return in just 4 weeks time. Some of their well established and supported families have already been misplaced. You cannot be anything other than critical of this government which does not seem to be doing enough to end this blight on this lovely country. We still see evidence of massive wealth not shared, resources untapped and under exploited and corruption and back handers. Every night on television we get stories of politicians who are facing corruption charges.

This trip has enabled us to see even more of the beautiful country and meet more of the wonderful people, but it does need to take a step out of this almost feudal system where the masses have so little while a few have so much.

I will be back and I hope to see that it has taken more steps to achieve more equality.

Freeza

Well here I am are back in the Shalom centre in manila. Mick and Terry are well on their way back to Manchester. Mat is flying back to Sidney Tom and Bezza are heading back. Gavin stayed in Cebu and has an opportunity to carry on working with one of the charities. Me and Mrs Freeza are spending a couple of days at the Tondo school doing a bit of staff training.

What a trip it has been. The playground was completed by Tuesday to a very High standard under Micks instruction and inspirational leadership. We then moved on to build 5 ‘houses’ in the village of lower Bantigue nr Daanbantayan. It is important to clarify what we mean by house we are talking of a 10 foot by 8 foot coconut wood shed with ply walls and a tin roof. It is basic but it is so much more than many people have already and hopefully will provide some shelter from the heat and the typhoons when they arrive in a month or so. Everyone prays that they will not experience one as powerful as last years ‘Yolanda’.

The opening ceremony for the playground was almost as amazing and was certainly as emotional as the final assembly at Tondo in February. In excess of 500 people turned up far more than expected. It was all very official with speeches from the Mayor Mick and of course Sir Bezza. (thank fully very short).

The kids went wild the playground stood the test and took the strain and we had some lovely thanks and great photo opportunities with the children and their grateful parents.

We went to say our farewells to the people of Lower bantigue which was equally emotional and it was good to see that the roof metal sheets and wall timbers had eventually arrived and were starting to be put on the houses we had built the structures for. A great trip yet again and we look forward to the next one in 2016.

PS I will get some photos up honest even if I have to get wilko to do it when we get back.

Cheers

Hi we completed the playground by Tuesday evening in order to spend as much time as possible building houses for the small village of Lower Bantigue. This is a smashing little fishing village full of friendly people just outside Daanbantayan. Springboard and Hope charity foundations are providing materials and some labour for the families to build houses. We have been working for the last 2 days and have built the framework for 4 houses. It is great fun working with the families although very hot and at times very frustrating because we run out of materials and we have to wait for deliveries. We have occasional dips in the sea and end the day with a game of Volleyball with the locals. We spend lunch yesterday at the village childrens centre and had lunch with 51 of the youngest kids who were not sure about us as they have seen few Brits and we were very dirty and sweaty. They were not sure about the puppet and were absolutely shocked and totally bemused when we tried to teach the OKAY COKAY.

We will spend our last day at the village tomorrow and hope to complete the houses we have started but we suspect we will not get the roof sheets or the wall ply we need on time. However we have helped and it has been appreciated by these wonderful happy people. On Saturday the mayor is planning a grand opening of the playground which we think will be an amazing and probably completely over the top celebration.

The playground is looking absolutely great and their children are desperate to get on it but are being kept off the moment by the council work men and women. It has all been a most amazing experience so far, the team have got on fine even putting up with Bezza. We head back to Manila early Sunday morning and then some of us are spending a couple of Days at Tondo and the others fly home to England. I hope the temperature has risen since we left. The air today was around 38 degrees and the sea was hotter than a bath. I will let you know how Saturday goes when I get to Manila.

Cheers