A Massive Thank You!

Quick note: As you all know I am working on a serious post for this here blog, but no matter what I edit I can't seem to get it right. I don't want it all to come out in the wrong way so you will have to bear with me. 

So, I am going to take this chance to thank you. You, the reader, the helper, the person who helped my dad on his way. 

Over the last few months I have been overwhelmed with the kindness that you have all shown my dad, I'm not even sure I have been that kind to him throughout my whole life (joke ! I am very kind to him...at least I am now, can't say I was when I was a teenager :p). I have had heartfelt messages through facebook, twitter and email, all of which have warmed my core and helped me in continuing the support on this end. 

Dad is in the process of sending me a list of people who have helped him (ie. given him a hot meal, let him stay in their house/hotel etc) and when I have that list I am going to make sure you get a standing ovation for your kindness. In any case, I am sure you are all reading this so you know who you are and what you have done. Please leave a message here telling us how you met dad, what you talked about and how you helped him on his way, I want everyone to know that the kindness of others really does go a long way.

I would also like to take this opportunity to let you know that Dad's online donations have reached a grand total (both sites together) of  £1833!!!! That is so amazing, well done Dad, and thank you to everyone who has donated online. Please continue to do so :D. You can find the giving sites on this blog as well as Facebook.

From the bottom of my heart (and dad's) THANK YOU! As a thank you, here is a picture of Dad competing in a Tough Guy challenge a few years ago ;)

P.S. Nearly forgot ! Dad weighed his bag again for you, it is now 7st 2lbs! Will have to ask how much weight HE has lost next time ;)!

It's been a while! Let us go back to the beginning, come with me.

Hey everyone!

I has been a ridiculously busy couple of weeks but hopefully things have settled down on my end now. Life in general has been getting in the way of my regular posts, as well as lots of technical issues (grrrr). In any case, I am back! So lets travel back to the beginning of Dad's journey since apparently he was invisible until he reached Wales.

27th May 2014: Day 1: Cornwall Coastal Path: Penzance - Lamorna

"Lesson number 1! Start walking earlier!" According to Dad's notes he did not start walking on his first day until 16:20, what were you thinking Father? Dad only walked for 4 hours the first day and wrote down "Little steps at a time. Until I get fitter and weight at least the same as my bag does!" His bag was, at this time, just over 12 stone. Can you imagine carrying a 12 stone bag along the Cornwall Coastal path? I think I would be too afraid of tipping over the edge. As you all know Dad was taking anti-anxiety pills before he left for this journey (and he took some just in case), well day one was the first day he didn't need a tablet all day...when he called me to tell me that I was so relieved.

28th May 2014: Day 2: Lamorna Cliffs - Treen

"Lesson number 2! Conserve water!" Hahaha, always a good lesson to learn. Reading dad's notes are just making giggle for all the wrong reasons. Apparently Dad met an 'old chap' walking 700 miles for a hospice in Bristol, wonder what he thought about Dad's challenge? You'll have to tell us Dad!! He seemed to learn his lesson from the previous day and began walking about 10:40, and didn't stop until 17:00. "Did just under 10k today of really difficult coastal path, part of which had been washed away during the winter storms so I had to climb boulders for about an hour...with a 12st pack on my back! (Got to make it lighter somehow)" Haha! Let us know the weight of your backpack now Dad, has it got any lighter?

As you can see here the feral puppy dog is attempting to eat Dad's map of Penzance, I think that he can smell that unwashed man smell that Dad left on it...it's true, did you put it under your armpit Dad? :P
Anyways! No more joking, this is the first map that Dad used on his travels and to be completely honest with you it is not as interesting as some of his maps later on (stay with us folks and you'll see what I mean!). Just wanted to quickly note the camp site where Dad stayed on that first night: Bone Valley Campsite http://bonevalleyholidaypark.co.uk/ and Treen Campsite where dad got his first £5 donation to H4H! http://www.treenfarmcampsite.co.uk/.

Thank you so much for being so patient, keep donating, keep liking and keep supporting!

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): What is it?

PTSD is an anxiety disorder caused by a number of stressful events. These can include military combat, prolonged abuse or neglect, rape, witnessing violent death, being held hostage, natural disaster. These are just some of the causes. PTSD can develop immediately or may take days, months or years. According to the NHS website (http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Post-traumatic-stress-disorder/Pages/Introduction.aspx) PTSD affects ‘1 in every 3 people who have a traumatic experience’.

I am no expert on PTSD, I can only tell you what I have seen and heard from people who have suffered with it as well as the information I read on the internet. I will provide links to some good sites about PTSD at the end of this post as I believe that it is important for us to widen our knowledge on mental health, something that has been ignored greatly through the years. So here comes my explanation.

How about a little history:  ever heard of ‘shell shock’? A term coined during World War 1. This is what we call it PTSD today, which doesn’t mean that it solely applies to those that have fought in a war! Soldiers with shell shock had symptoms such as insomnia, the inability to speak or walk, in a constant state of panic. Many people would have been put into an asylum ‘back in the day’ had they shown these kinds of symptoms, mainly because they couldn’t get on in society. PTSD wasn’t officially recognised as a mental health disorder until 1980, a long time don’t you think? We have a better system today, there are many therapies developed especially for mental health, trained professionals who can help someone manage the symptoms, drug therapy and, in my Dad’s case, walking around the entire UK! In the end it is up to the individual to make their own decision on what kind of therapy would be better for them.

Dad started off on the drug therapy, which is very common I find, this meant that he was taking anti-depressants as well as anti-anxiety pills when needed. Before he started the drug therapy my Dad would get extremely stressed in crowds, he would feel the need to hide away, scream out loud, shake, panic, get angry. He started gaining weight again, looking haggard and ill. This wasn’t the Dad I knew, Dad developed PTSD years after the event. I think Dad kept all his pain shut up inside for such a long time that it just exploded out of him like a bottle of coke that has been shaken then opened. For a while the medication appeared to be working but Dad felt he wasn’t getting any better, he was just managing. This isn’t what he wanted. He wanted to get better; he still wants to get better. So, very, very randomly he told us that he was going on an adventure. (Psst, this is where you all join the story.) Dad started walking the country. Starting at Land’s End and walking all the way around the coast. To be honest I wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to do it, I worried every day I didn’t hear from him. Then, something amazing happened. My Dad started to sound better. Happier. I was astonished. He had finally found that thing that had the potential to get him better! Every time he rang me he had another crazy story about being ran through a field by a herd of cows, or sneaking into a festival by accident and then chipping his tooth trying to get out. Then he started to meet you guys, all you that have been supporting him along the way, who would offer him a bed for the night, a hot meal to fill his shrinking tummy, a story for him to cherish. This is the hardest bit for my Dad, his anxiety mainly comes from too many people around him (this is why he hates cities and chose to walk the coast!). This is why he has to take a break every now and then, go off the radar for a few days. But he will be back! Don’t you worry ;).

So, I hope that this has given you a little bit of information about what PTSD is and what it does to my Dad. Don’t forget to donate to Dad’s charities of choice the links can be found to the right of this post under the title ‘Where to Donate’. Also, check out our facebook and twitter pages also linked to the right of this post. Please comment!

Sites about PTSD:

• http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Post-traumatic-stress-disorder/Pages/Introduction.aspx
• http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/posttraumaticstressdisorder.aspx
• https://www.combatstress.org.uk/medical-professionals/what-is-ptsd/

The Eldest Daughter

While I am working my way through my dad's notes and crazy drawings on maps of the UK I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself and give you a little more inside information into the man I am proud to call, Dad.

So we'll start at the beginning, my name is Stacey. Nice to meet you all! I am the eldest daughter of Rich Long, the crazy man walking the British Isles. I am a 23 year old Support Worker from Gloucestershire. I went to university in Aberystwyth, a place dad has passed recently. I am the eldest of dad's three daughters, my sisters are off at university (last year!) at the moment which is why this great responsibility falls upon myself and to be honest with you I love writing blogs, I have tried many times over the years but all kinds of things seemed to get in the way, ah well! I am here now so let's keep this up.

I wish that I could say I always knew everything about me dad, but who truly knows everything about another person? No matter how close you think you are to them. The way I see it, whether you are spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, sibling, daughter, son, mother, father, there is always some detail, be it little or big, that you don't know about that person. My dad and I have always been very close (much too alike I say!) so I hope that I can say I know him pretty well. However, many things have come to light this past year that I didn't know about my dad. My dad spent a good chunk of his life hiding his troubles and illnesses just so that we, his kids, didn't see it. Who wants to show that side of yourself to your children really? As you all know my dad suffers from PTSD, something I will write about in detail next week. This is not a nice thing to see as a child, or as an adult for that matter. I did not find out about this until the beginning of last year, in a way I am happy that he waited until I was old enough to completely understand. But that's just me.

You may be wondering at this point; "Aren't you mad that he was never honest about this with you?" and my answer would be no, of course not. How I can possibly be mad at him for trying to protect me? I was a typical teenage drama queen and was going through my own crap, I am fairly sure I wouldn't have been able to deal with his as well. I appreciate that, I will always appreciate that. However, I am so happy that he told me, even if it did take him a long time, because now I am in a position to help him. Even if its only by writing this blog and supporting him.

My dad is a good man, the best man (don't tell him I said that ;)). Don't all daughters say that though? I remember when I started living with my boyfriend about 2 years ago and he said to me "Don't forget that I will always be the most important man in your life!" with a very serious face which I, of course, couldn't help laughing at. But he is right, Dad will always be the only solid man in my life. As much as you don't want to think about it when you are in a committed relationship there is always the chance that something with go wrong. At that point it is your dad that is there, at least, I know mine will be, even if he is half way across the county scaling a mountain he would do everything he could to make sure he got back to me, the same goes for my sisters.

That's just the kind of man my Dad is.

An Explanation

Welcome to The "Long" Way Around the British Isles! 

My name is Stacey and I am creating and writing this blog on behalf of my dad, Richard Long, who is currently walking his way around the British Isles. This is his story:

"Homeless and suffering with depression, I started my walk around the coastline of Great Britain on the 25th May 2014 (30 years since joining the army) by walking around the Isles of Scilly, camping on the islands then getting a ferry back to Penzance where I set off on my journey. I started this journey initially to help me cope with PTSD after suffering a complete breakdown; but as this is the Centenary year of the start of the First World War, I also want to complete this walk in memory and honour of all who served, fought, died or survived as well as all their families. I will be wearing a kilt for the duration from the 22nd June and sleeping in a tent. I will be fundraising for Combat Stress who have helped me greatly over the past few years and Help for Heroes who always do an amazing job with our ex Servicemen and women. I will be fundraising by using two different online charity pages and taking donations with separate collection tins on route."

As he walks I will documenting all that he has seen, heard and experienced on his way. He is especially looking out for war memorials and historical buildings all of which is he photographing and sending to me! So wish him luck by reading this, following him on facebook and twitter (will cite at the end of this post) and donating whatever you can. 

Thank you, 

Stacey and Rich.

Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Long-way-around-the-British-Isles/602335226531242

Twitter: 
@walking11000

Donate: 
http://www.bmycharity.com/RichardLong
https://www.justgiving.com/rjl68/