We are 14 days and nearly 300 miles into the journey and having a well-deserved rest day in Newcastle. I thought it would be an opportune time to assess how well the campaign appears to be working.
The first point to note is that having a better thought through route and preparations, together with a better team, has resulted in a much smoother and safer journey. Thanks to Phil and Justine for the input they have already made and the input they continue to make.
Secondly, having people on board back in London (thanks to BT, Gina Harry and Ian Hutchinson) has made a huge difference to the impact we had intended, compared to last year.
You can find a full list of all the links to the various pieces that have so far appeared on our campaign by looking at a mixture of my tweets, my facebook and my blog entries. For the sake of completeness, the main activity that the London team have achieved so far has appeared in:
Aberdeenshire Original FM radio, Aberdeen Press and Journal, Dundee Courier, Montrose Review, Fife Courier, Scotsman News, Edinburgh Evening News, Queensferry Gazette, Newcastle Evening News, Scottish Cycling website, Sleaford Wheelers website, Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, Grimsby Telegraph, Lincolshire Wheelers, Priority Trust website, Parasport website.
And meetings with the following individuals have been organised:
Dundee Lord Provost, Edinburgh Lord Provost, Sarah Brown, Morpeth Mayor, Newcastle Lord Mayor, Gateshead Mayor, Sunderland Deputy Mayor.
More will come as we progress further south. Meetings, and undoubtedly the media, have already been arranged with the Deputy Mayor of Scunthorpe and the Mayors of Lincoln, Peterborough and Bedford.
Media activity is very encouraging, but arguably more heartening has been the level of goodwill and support from the public. Throughout our journey so far (and particularly in the areas where we have achieved substantial media coverage) we have been greeted by toots on car horns and applause as we pass by. Although we are not fundraising, many people have gone out of their way to give us money. This is testimony to the level of latent support from the general public.
