K2B Charity Awards Evening - Thursday November 20th.

The 2008 K2B Charity Awards Evening will be held on Thursday 20th commencing at 7.30pm prompt at the Hawcoat Park Sports Club, Hawcoat Lane, Barrow.

At the event, the proceeeds from this years Walk will be presented to over 100 local and national good causes.  We will be making awards to individuals and teams who have made a significant contribution to the KBW cause, and we also hope to announce yet another bumper charity payout.

Anyone wishing to attend should be seated in the hall before 7.15pm (dress informal)

Last Call for Sponsor Monies

We are shortly to be finalising the total funds raised from this year's event and there are still teams not yet having forwarded any monies. Many others have still to submit late reciepts and all teams are therefore urged to make an extra special effort to submit the remaining amounts to the K2B Treasurer at the earliest opportunity.

It may well be that you are atill awaiting for the 'stragglers' but we need to ascertain the total K2B fund for 2008 and urge all to comply to avoid being penalised under the 'Three Strikes' ruling which could affect eligibility for future events.

Monies should be sent to : The Treasurer, Mr W Bright, Old Hall Farm, Stainton with Adgarley, nr Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, LA13 ONH. Cheques should be made payable to 'The Keswick to Barrow Walk Committee' and should indicate your team number on the rear. Any Charity nominations should be made by completing the form on the Website.

Any concerns or difficulties should be directed to the K2B Secretary via the website enquiries section or mail to neil.tyson@baesystems.com.

Feedback from the 42nd K2B - Have Your Say

Thank you once again to all the Walkers, Sponsors, Support Teams and Marshals who made the 42nd K2B another successful event. However, we now need to take stock of the day, look at its good points and also of those areas which could be improved upon for the enjoyment and safety of all concerned.

Accordingly the committee would welcome any commentary and constructive points which we could capture, address and develop to ensure next year is an even better event capable of accepting those additional numbers which were unfortunately turned down due to safety limitations this year.

Please send all comments - good or not so good via the e-mail facility on the site. 

Once again - thank you for your valued support and we look forward to recieving your sponsor monies in the not too distant future.

Another Successful Event - Highlights from K2B42 - 2008

The 42^nd Keswick to Barrow Walk (K2B) got underway from Rough How Bridge in perfect conditions with the 2029 starters being the second highest turnout in the history of the event (record 2049 last Year).  The slight reduction from the 2200 expected, was attributed to the success of Barrow AFC gaining promotion by winning the Blue Square North play off’s the night before with many supporters celebrating well into the morning.

Of the 245 starting teams, 89 were from outside Cumbria, 27 were Ministry of Defence Teams, there were 18 Ladies teams and 31 Junior Teams.  There were 60 official runners competing for individual trophies and twelve disabled Handcyclists.

The first walkers were through the start at 5.30 prompt, with many skipping or jogging along the A591 towards Barrow – some in fancy dress.  Runners were despatched at the official 6.00 start time with a team of twelve Handcyclists getting underway shortly afterwards.  The last team away at 6.50 was the Lancashire team, The Mulligans who had already walked the 2 miles from their hotel at Keswick due to failure of transport arrangements.

The surface of Thirlmere was like a mirror reflecting the Helvellyn range in the early morning light as the walkers started the passage along the west bank.  The sun came up as the majority of walkers were ascending Dunmail Raise which provides the first support point at 7 miles and the ideal location for a cooked breakfast for many walkers.  The route then leaves the A591 and winds its way through the beautiful Lakeland villages of Grasmere and Elterwater on route to the Halfway point at Brantwood on the banks of Coniston Water. 

The fringes of Grizedale Forest provided well needed shade along the length of Coniston Water as the sun rose high into the sky and the first of the casualties were treated by the well-equipped first aid and rescue teams on route.  A carnival atmosphere awaited those who managed to make the marathon distance to Lowick, with many well-wishers and supporters in festive spirits outside the Red Lion Inn.

The most arduous section of the route had only just begun as walkers embarked upon a four mile uphill struggle to the top of the Furness Fells and were rewarded by some of the most breathtaking panoramic views in the country.  The final descent through the village of Marton and then Dalton – the ancient capital of Furness – gave some respite to the weary legs enabling the final trudge along Abbey Road into Barrow more possible.  All 1815 finishers were greeted with warm applause as they crossed the finish line at Hawcoat Park to receive their finishers medal.

First Man home in a time of 4 hr 33 minutes – and winner of the ‘Best Performance Cup’ was local draughtsman Gary Dixon from the Shipyard’s SEDDASA team in only his first K2B. Second placed was Darren Fell of the Waikiki Beach Club team in 4hr 52 min with 3^rd placed Christopher Howie of the Shipyard’s ALARP team making it a 1,2,3 for local runners.

 First Handcyclist home and winner of the Malcolm Savage Memorial Plate was 2005 winner Andy Chamings from York setting a new course record of 3hr 54 minutes for the class.  Last years winner Geoff Marshall from Farnborough was second in 4 hr 2 minutes.

First lady home and winner of the JM Redshaw Cup for the second year running was Fiona Taylor from Aberdeen in a time of 6 hr 5 minutes.  Third lady home and winner of the Sandy Woods Girls trophy was 15 year old Jemma Bell from Ulverston Victoria High School who completed the course in 6hr 53 minutes.  Winner of the Sandy Woods Boys Trophy was 16 year old Aron Fell from Park View School in a time of 6 hr 33 minutes.

Winners of the L Redshaw Cup for the best overall team performance was the Shipyard Team SEDDASA with all ten men back in 7 hrs 15 minutes. SEDDASA also took the Resolution Cup – for the best team in an in-house competition with the Royal Navy – and the Charity Challenge Trophy for the best BAE Systems team, both of which were new records for the class.

The K2B Challenge Cup for the best non-Cumbrian team and the W Richardson Trophy for the best MoD team were both won by HMS Sultan Delayed Neutons from Portsmouth with all ten home in 7 hours 49 minutes.

The Ladies Team Trophy was won for the sixth time by the 2008 Badminton Babes with all ten ladies home (complete with immaculate lipstick and smiles) in 10 hrs 56 minutes.  Chetwynde School retained the Vanguard Cup for the fastest junior team in 13 hrs 10 minutes with Walney School B second and St Bernards 4 Third.

The youngest participant was Sharanya Guleri from Merseyside who completed his third K2B this year.  The oldest competitor was 85 year old Barrovian Ken Honeyman who arrived back at the finish at 8.15 pm.  Last arriving was a group of four Walney Schoolchildren after 16 and a half hours on the road.

The total amount to be raised from this years event is expected to exceed £200k and possibly exceed the £220k record set last year.  The K2B committee would like to thank all Walkers, sponsors and Marshals for making such an excellent day. 

A full list of results is available on the website.

Please note that the 'three strikes rule' will be operating for 2008 any any team accruing 3 strikes is unlikely to be considered for participation in future years.  K2B 'offences' which would incur a 'strike' include:

Driving Along Route - support vehicles travelling along unauthorised stretches of the route (putting participants at risk) .  In severe or repeated cases, the team (and all its entrants) will recieve a straight ban.  Please ensure that all your support vehicle drivers are fully briefed (details in rules & regulations section)

Not following Marshal's instructions - Please follow any Marshal's requests, they are there to keep you safe.

Unreasonable Behaviour - Any action which may be considered a threat to the safety of other participants or which may be thought to be unappropriate (eg, aggressive or abusive behaviour, drunken-ness)

No-Show - Team not turning out on the day without prior notice or good reason.  If withdrawals are advised in sfficient time their team place can be reallocated to the next team on the reserve list.

Cheating - any action which may constitute cheating in trophy competitions

Sponsor Money Defualters - Persons not returning sponsor monies to the K2B treasurer after the event.

Incorrect or incomplete Teamsheet details,

Pease note that your participation on this increasingly popular 'free to enter' event is entirely at the discretion of the K2B committee. Please lets play fair and enjoy the day ensuring the safety of all others.

2007 - Simply the Most Successful K2B Year Yet !

Following the establishment of new participation records on the 12th May, several fundraising records were set at the annual K2B Awards evening on 8th November.  

A total of £180,259  - some £54k better than the record set last year - was distributed to 187 charities, with the 128 Local Charities benefiting to the tune of £113,842.  Some 59 Non-Cumbrian charities benefitted by a total of £66,417 thanks to the efforts of some 90 travelling teams.  A total of 81 Gift Aid Packages totalling some £25,187 were also presented bringing the overall 2007 K2B charity payout to £205,466. The total raised by the K2B since 1967 now stands at £1,257,472.

Awards ranged up to a the fantastic £10,000 presented to the North West Air Ambulance which becomes the highest charity award ever presented by the K2B.  The Air Ambulance was nominated by several local teams in the wake of a tragic car accident involving local businessman Ray Armstong and his family earlier this year.

The Glaxo Charity Shield for the most money raised by a team went to Tonka Fingers Charity Convoy 5 who set a new fundraising record of £6395.  The MSF Trophy for the Junior Team raising most money was presented to Chetwynde School 1 with an excellent £1088.

Other highlights from 2007 include:

• Most Ever Participants at 2049, some 29% higher than previous best of 1591 participants last year. (First year we have had to close entries before the date in order to guarantee safety limits)

• Of these, some 1788 hardy souls managed to complete the event and producing – our best completion rate yet of 87% (fantastic !)

• A Record 34 MoD/Armed Forces Teams (16 LY), mostly from outside Cumbria.

• A Record 45 Junior Teams mostly representing local secondary Schools, including five from Thorncliffe School and eight from Dowdales School.

• Altogether, a record 297 participating teams (230 LY), 103 of which from outside Cumbria (52 LY) with individual representation from the Czech Republic, Alaska, New Zealand and China.

• The Youngest Participant (again) was nine year old Sharanya Guleri  from Merseyside and the oldest was Gordon Rodgers from Carlisle at 77 (and gaining his white ‘Doctors Certificate’ for 3 completions)

• We had Joint Winners in the mens trophy with Rolls Royce contractors Neil Halliday and John Robertson finishing hand in hand after 5 hours 13 minutes pacing each other along the route

• There was a new all-time Girls record of 7 hr 40 minutes by Jemma Bell from Barrow.

• Another Junior Record was set by Chetwynde 1 who took the Vanguard Team trophy in 10 hrs 18 minutes taking a massive 80 minutes off the previous best

A total of some 78,000 miles have been covered this year and most importantly the 2000 plus walkers have generated the best ever K2B fundraising total with an average £88 raised per entrant. ‘Well Done’ to each and every one of you for contributing to this fantastic success.

New Charity Nominations Procedure

A new nominations procedure has been introduced for 2007 allowing teams  - who wish to nominate a charity to benefit from their efforts  - to make their nomination via the website.  The new webpage  - which is available from the K2B Home Page -  will be the only method of charity nomination by participants and will require full charity and team details and a declaration of how much has been raised and returned to the K2b Committee.

The tab on the home page (bottom right) will take you to the Co-ordinator Log in where you need to input your details as used for the K2B team entry this year.  Successful input of password will take you to the page where you can nominate your charity (s).

Details of the nominations process including Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the website under charities.

Address for Sponsor Monies

Having now completed the event (or part of it) you must now make sure that you collect as much of your sponsor money as possible and submit it (via your team co-ordinator) to the K2B Treasurer at the Following Address:

Mr Bill Bright, K2B Treasurer, Old Hall Farm, Stainton with Adgarley, Nr Barrow in Furness, Cumbria LA13 ONH.

Cheques should be made payable to the Keswick to Barrow Walk Committee and ALL cheques must have your team number written on the reverse.  No other address should be used for returning monies.

Please note that ALL Monies must be returned to the K2B and under no circumstances should any monies be forwarded direct to charities.  You can of course nominate a charity under the charity nominations process.

Despite the early morning drizzle, 2044 entrants made the journey to Keswick to take part this year’s K2B with a common aim of raising monies for their favourite charities. Many teams had travelled from as far afeild as Portsmouth, Thurso and Hastings with Alaskan Art Peterson again making his annual 4000 mile trip to participate. Other participants included a team of Chinese students studying at York University and 28yr old David Sykora from the Czech Republic currently on work placement at Lakeside YMCA.

Around 30 volunteers had been on site at Rough How Bridge since 3am establishing the start and connecting up the satellite-based 'Entrant Tracking System' which captures walkers progress thus enabling marshals to locate individuals along the 40 mile course. Recognising the threat of heavy showers and an increasing congregation of eager participants, the organisers let the first walkers through the electronic 'gates' at around 5.20 am to begin their trek. Around 60 runners competing for fastest-individual trophies were released at 6.00 and nine paraplegic handcyclists started half an hour later.

The cloud cover continued throughout the morning making good cool conditions for the competitors as they made their way along the winding Lakeland lanes. Sunshine and clear skies arrived in the early afternoon when most walkers were negotiating the Furness Fells. The spectacular views of the Furness Peninsula on the descent however helped take walkers minds off the final ten miles to the Finish.

Back at the BAE Sstems Sports Club well-wishers and supporters lined the route to cheer the relieved finishers as they dug deep to sport a smile or a jog over the last few hundred metres. There were also stalls and childrens activities provided for the young whilst parents relaxed in the carnival atmospere which developed throughout the afternoon.

Joint winners of the Best Performance Cup for the first man home were Neil Halliday and John Robertson of Derbyshire-based team 'Plan, Design & Run away' in a time of 5hr 13 min. This was only the second time the trophy has been 'shared' with the first occasion being during the inaugural K2B in 1967 when three runners crossed the line together. Merseyside runner Dave Griffin actually posted the fastest time of this year’s K2B with 5hr 12min but was not awarded the trophy having left Keswick ahead of the 06:00 official start.

The first Lady home and winner of the JM Redshaw Trophy was Fiona Taylor from the Newcastle-based Trojan Squadron Team in 6 hr 24 minutes. First local lady was retired Shipyard manager and previous winner Gillian Thompson.

A New Girls Record of 7hr 40 min was established by Barrow Schoolgirl Jemma Bell who received the Sandy Woods Girls Trophy. Winner of the Sandy Woods Boys Trophy was Dowdales Schoolboy Cameron Fawcett in 7hr 18min.

Winner of the Malcolm Savage Memorial Plate for the second year running was hand cyclist Geoff Marshal from York in a time of 4 hrs 45 minutes.

Winners of the L Redshaw Cup for the best overall team performance was Derby RRaiders with all ten home (200 points) in 8hr 7 min. This win which extends Rolls Royce’s list of overall K2B triumphs to sixteen, also secured the Keswick to Barrow Challenge Trophy for non-Cumbrian teams.

Winners of the Resolution Cup in a closed completion between Barrow Shipyard and RN crew teams was shipyard team SEDDASA with all 10 home in 8hr 33min. SEDDASA also won the Charity Challenge Trophy for BAE Systems teams narrowly beating Brough Logistics who achieved 200 points in 9hr 53minutes.

Almost 90 minutes was slashed off the Junior Team Record by Chetwynde School One who took the Vanguard Trophy with all 12 children home in 10hr 18 minutes. The Ladies Team Trophy was won this year by Lowick Trotters 1with all 10 home in 14hr 10 minutes.

Last to arrive at the BAE Systems Sports Club Finishing at 10.30pm was Caroline Murphy from Barrow after almost 16 an a half hours on the road. The youngest participant was thought to be nine year old Sharanya Guleri from Merseyside who completed the course ( for the second time) with his parents. The oldest participant was Gordon Rodgers from Carlisle who is 77 this month.

A full list of finishers and trophy results will be posted on the website shortly.

Sponsorship pledges from the 1800 finishers total around £130k although predictions are that the event could raise in excess of £150k when final sponsor monies are received.

The Keswick to Barrow Walk Committee would like to thank all walkers, sponsors and supporters for contributing to this year’s extremely successful event. The event is made possible by kind contributions from Furness Building Society, Poole - Townsend, NeXT Solutions, John Caunt Scientific, Hewden Hire, HSP Milners, Barclays Bank , Computer Sciences, Barrow Borough Council, MoneX, Nuclear Decommissioning Agency, Wilkinsons, Netto, Asda, R F I D, and Major Sponsors BAE Systems and Rolls Royce.

K2B Secretary - Change of Address

Please note that the K2B Secretary has now moved home and no further correspondence or monies should be sent to Norland Avenue, Barrow.  All new enquiries should be sent by e-mail via the website or for formal correspondence address to:

The K2B Secretary, c/o BAE Systems, Bridge Road, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria LA14 1AF

Keswick to Barrow Walk Saturday 14^th May 2005 Summary

• The 39^th Keswick to Barrow started in near perfect conditions as the bright sunshine from the east lit up the tops of the Lakeland fells giving very good visibility in the cool valleys below. The sunshine continued throughout the day although temperatures remained at a suitable level for the event with a moderate easterly breeze helping to cool the participants.

• The excellent weather forecast had no doubt contributed to the 28% field increase over 2004 with the 1212 confirmed starters (944 LY) comprising 671 male, 317 female, 115 schoolboys, 101 schoolgirls and 8 paraplegic hancyclists.  The total number of entrants was the highest it had been since 1991.

• The first walkers were away from the start at Rough How Bridge (4m south of Keswick) shortly before 05:30 and the last leaving around an hour later.  Eighty two of the starters registered as runners and started at the official time of 06:00. 

• This years walk benefited from an improved variant of last years timing system where each entrant carried an electronic tag on a lanyard (usually worn around neck) which is scanned by a reader on a post at each checkpoint down the route.  When the walker finishes the course, the tag information is downloaded and the walker issued with a small certificate showing start, finish , seven checkpoint, and total elapsed times. The data is then processed by a master data-base which calculates the winners of around a dozen team and individual trophies.  Significant effort had gone into developing the 2005 system thanks to financial contributions from our sponsors including NeXT Solutions Ltd based in Dalton who have produced the software.

• First to arrive back at the BAE Systems Sports Club on Hawcoat Lane, Barrow at 10:27 was paraplegic handcyclist - Andy Chamings from the York in a time of 4hrs 10 min.  Second handclyclist was local racer Alan Grace from Broughton in a time of 4h 16 min.  Andy wins the Malcolm Savage Memorial Plate, which was introduced for the first time this year in memory of Malcolms longstanding support and Committee Membership.

• Winner of the Best Performance Cup (first male runner) for the third year running was Iain Robert from the HMS Sultan Delayed Neutrons Team (Portsmouth) in a time of 4h 42min.  Iain is only the third man to accomplished this feat following Local runners Frank Howson in the seventies and Neil Tyson in the nineties. Second this year was Dave Griffin from  Liverpool  ( 5h 13m) and first local runner John Richardson from Dowdales School was third in 5h 22m.

• Local Chetwynde Schoolteacher – Susan Hool set the record straight by winning the JM Redshaw Cup for the First female in 5h 50 m.  Susan had the fastest female time in 2004 but was excluded from collecting the trophy having not started at the Official Runners start time of 06:00.  Second lady was Sue Tyson (6h31m) from the BAE Badminton Babes Team and third was Jane Thomson (7h 22) from the Sultan Delayed Neutrons team at Portsmouth.

• The Chetwynde School Teams scored another individual triumph with 15 year old Lindsay McRae winning the Sandy Woods Boys Trophy in a time of 6hours 27 minutes.  David Goude from the local ‘Gaswise’ youth team was second in 6h 59m and Daniel Bell from Dowdales School was third in 7h 15m.

• First Schoolgirl home winning the Sandy Woods Girls Trophy was Esther Sands from Windermere in 8h 49m.  Second was Fay Mulholland (8h 59m) from Dowdales School and third was Jemma Bell (9h 40) from Walney.

• The L Redshaw Cup for the best overall team performance was won by the Rolls Royce Team - tRReizsistes from Derby with all 10 home in 7h 7minutes. tRReizsistes also take the Keswick to Barrow Challenge Cup for teams from outside Cumbria.

• The Resolution Cup for the best performance between shipyard and RN teams was won by Barrows SEDDASA who also take the Charity Challenge Trophy competed for from teams across BAE SYSTEMS. 

• The Ladies Team Trophy was won by the BAE Badminton Babes with all ten home in 10h 56min just edging out the Rolls Royce team kaRRma chameleons by 48 minutes.  The Babes came a very respectable 7^th overall out of the 170 teams taking part in the event.

• The Vanguard Cup for the first junior team was won for the third year running by Dowdales Boys A with all 10 home in 11h 43 min.  Chetwynde Boys were a close second with all 10 home in 12h 38 min.

• The 2005 walk attracted over 40 teams from outside Cumbria and again the furthest person travelling to participate for his third time was 65 year old Art Peterson all the way from Alaska who finished in a very respectable time of 9hrs 7mins and 19 secs.

• Pat Allen from The St Mary’s Hospice team this year clocked-up her 30^th completion and is only the second person to do so.  Gordon Ingall from Dalton is the current ‘King of the Road’ with 32 completions notched up this year.

• The youngest person to complete the course this year was thought to be 9 year old Neil Aspinall from Walney who walked the entire distance with his father Stuart arriving at the finish after 13 hours and 50 minutes.

• The last persons to finish were Ann Taylor and Sue Burns from the BAE Human Resources Team, who checked in at 10.32pm after 16 hours and 40 minutes on the road.

• The total amount expected to be raised from this years event is projected to surpass last years record £77,000.  Organisers are optimistic that this years payout will be close to the £100,000 taking the overall charity distribution in the Walk’s history to over £950,000.

• An awards Evening will be held in November to announce this years charity beneficiaries

• The walk is organised by a committee of ten, and involves hundreds of marshals and support workers, including around 50 first-aiders (from  BAE Systems First Aid Corps and St Johns Ambulance), local Mountain and Inshore rescue teams.  In all around 200 personnel are involved in the organisation and marshalling.