James attempts an Ultra Challenge

It came to my attention recently that I'd not done anything especially challenging for some time (second degree notwithstanding!) so rather than going for the sensible option of say trekking a marathon or even attempting to run a half marathon, I thought I'd jump in at the deep end and do an Ultra Challenge instead! This involves walking 100 km (62m) from Fulham in West London to Henley-on-Thames, following the Thames Path. I'm doing this not only to improve my own health and fitness levels, but also to raise some much needed funds for New Hope Counselling, a local charity which provides affordable counselling to those in the Warwick area:

"New Hope Counselling is a Christian Charity which was established in 2011.
From the very beginning the aim of our organisation was to provide counselling for ALL, not just those who were able to afford to pay.
We deliver counselling from three locations: Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon and Kenilworth.
We have a small staff team, supporting counsellors and clients amongst many other tasks, and a team of 35 counsellors, who offer their skills and time voluntarily. This team provide a variety of counselling models including: person centred, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), psychodynamic and integrative.
Last year we delivered 2,570 sessions of counselling and saw 283 new clients.
We calculate that each counselling session costs us £35, this includes rent, administration costs, staff costs and supervision/training.
We absolutely love what we do and what we are striving to offer to our community through New Hope. Thank you for your support!"