Two Men and a Donkey: Trekking across England to Raise Funds for The Stroke Association

Tom and Mike Baxter are undertaking a walk with a purpose. They were scheduled to set off from Liverpool yesterday to test the reality of modern social life: they are walking, with a donkey, but with no money, no food, no tent or any other camping amenities, to find out whether they can depend upon the kindness of their fellows to meet their basic needs while on the road. On their website they said:

Once upon a time children could run freely in our streets, hippies wouldn't think twice about hitching a ride, and a drunk asking for 20p wasn't about to mug you.

What happened? Nowadays sneezing has a carbon footprint, all lone men are after our kids, and the act of smiling at someone constitutes harassment.

We live in cynical times... or do we?

Tom and Mike are brothers on a mission. A mission to prove that regardless of the confusion that our world presents, people are still kind, people are still generous, people are still good.

Tom, Mike and Fergal the Donkey are trekking across Northern England with no money, no food and no water in the belief that the generosity of the good people they'll meet will be more than enough.

The trek covers 153 miles and starts in LIVERPOOL at the Liver Building on 10th August 2010...

Further, they aim to raise £500 for The Stroke Association through pledges while on their trek. So far it looks as if they have a good chance to meet their goal!

Their purpose in taking a donkey, and they do not appear to have a lot of prior experience with donkeys, is to have a four-legged ambassador and ice-breaker to help meet people on their journey. Their first long-eared companion was to be Coco, but just after the brothers picked Coco up, she suffered some injury to her back and was deemed unable to attempt the journey. Coco's last minute replacement is Fergal and it appears that the brothers will undergo a crash-course in donkey psychology and handling during their journey. Coco began a daily journal prior to her retirement from the project, but Fergal is taking over - you can check his opinions here.

If you would like to follow their progress or help them on their journey, check their website. If you would like to make a donation to their Stroke Association fund, visit their fundraising website, JustGiving.com.