We get the goat!

Helen, Aly, Timmy, Alison and Heather

4everfriends thought it would be nice to have a mascot to bring us luck on the walk. And what better mascot to have then a goat. Goats are nimble on their feet, which is what the team will have to be over the South Downs in the dark. And here are the team with their new mascot Timmy the Goat at Jimmy's Farm, near Ipswich (Timmy's the one in the middle).

Thanks to Jimmy's Farm for letting us 'adopt' Timmy. He won't be with us on the walk, although we'll be thinking of him. Should also add Jimmy's Farm is a great day out and they do lovely sausages. Click here for more info.

More training

4everfriends met up for another training session this weekend. While all have been training separately, a joint session is great for team building - crucial if they're going to get through the highs and, especially, the lows of the real thing. Walking 100 kilometres together non-stop is not just a test of physical endurance, it's also about mental stamina.

4everfriends pause/pose in training

Sunday's walk was another 20 miler around Alton Water, Tattingstone in Suffolk and the surrounding countryside. And more lessons were learnt about how to prepare for the real thing.

'Keep your feet happy'  - that's the message from the official preparation guide. Unfortunately Heather's feet were not at all happy in her newish boots and she had to retire hurt before the end of the walk, but they'll be worn in well before the big day. We've taken note that the guide recommends having a change of footwear; trainers for day and boots for night.

An integral part of the training routine

Socks are also important and both Helen and Alison had problems with friction resulting in nappy rash on the ankles. The advice is to change socks at every checkpoint - going to get pongy in the support car!

And you just keep on giving.....

You're continued support through sponsorship is doing wonders for the team's morale. As of today you've helped us raise £830 - that's more than half way to our target and we've still got 4 months to go until the big walk happens. So a big thank you to everyone who's donated so far.

And the great news is, it's kept us on Oxfam's top 20 fundraising leaderboard - we're 12th overall - but, even better we're 4th in the 'teams of friends' category! The leaderboards are updated weekly - watch our progress here  (the boards are based on money received so there's a bit of a lag between the amounts shown and actually raised).

Chanctonbury Ring

And making our usual calculation that if pounds raised were kilometres walked, then we've reached the end of Stage 5 at Washington and are 3 kms into stage 6. We should have passed Chanctonbury Ring at this point - local legend says the Devil can be summoned by running around the clump of trees seven times anti-clockwise. Note to team - remember this, especially if we're here on the night stage.