Hampshire Cricketers Join Inspirational Walk

Squad help Phil Packer to walk 10 miles at The Rose Bowl

On Tuesday 31 January The Rose Bowl played host to a quite extraordinary event. Phil Packer MBE walked ten miles around the venue’s perimeter as part of a year-long 2,012-mile trip across Great Britain aimed at raising £15million to build a Centre of Inspirational Excellence for young people facing adversity.

Phil, who suffered severe spinal cord damage in 2008 and was told it was highly unlikely he would walk again, was joined by members of the Hampshire First Team Squad - including Jimmy Adams, David Balcombe, Michael Carberry, Sean Ervine, David Griffiths, James Tomlinson and Chris Wood - as well as Disability Cricketers from the local area to walk 24 laps (the equivalent of 10 miles) around the “berm” area that surrounds the field of play.

He was also joined by children from St James' Church of England School and The Polygon School as well as the charities, The Rainbow Centre, Wessex Cancer Trust and The Rose Road Association.

Finally, Phil was spurred on by Rose Bowl sponsors from Paris Smith and Virgin Atlantic, Hampshire Fire Service and his mentors, sprinter Iwan Thomas and sailors, Dee Caffari and Geoff Holt.  

Over the course of the year he will also make his way through locations chosen by young people in every county of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, including Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. On the way, he will meet many of Great Britain’s youth who are facing physical and mental adversity, from community groups, schools, colleges and charities who will join Phil at the chosen locations where he will walk.

The Rose Bowl was eighth in his list of visited venues for the “BRIT 2012 Challenge”. A selection of photographs from the event are included in a photo gallery below.

Words: Simon Vincent
Images: David Blundell

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