Keeping Promises

I am constantly amazed by the kindness of people in general and our local villagers in particular.

Many Puivertains became caught up in the atmosphere of my Big Walk. And several of them have donated.

Perhaps I should explain that the French are not nearly so wealthy as the British. If you are British, you may not feel wealthy, but in general you are much, much more well off than French citoyens, especially those in a poor, remote area like this with little employment. I have heard it said that the French regard the British much as we viewed the Americans for so long after the war - as far, far better off than we were, with access to so many more things.

On top of that, I believe it is not nearly so normal in France to give money to charity, especially when it comes to sponsoring somebody for a sporting event or other achievement.

That is why I am so knocked out with the financial support given, through me, to Pancreatic Cancer UK. And I have to say there has been no suggestion of reticence because this is a British charity. I am sure they realise that the hoped-for results from the research we are helping to fund will benefit the people of the world, not just the UK.

Gay went for a haircut the other day. Our village hairdresser is Maryse, but it is her daughter Patricia who does Gay's hair. During the walk we were surprised to receive an e-mail of support from Maryse - we didn't even know she had a computer. While Gay was having her hair powed (as my father used to say - can anybody explain that word to me?) Maryse and Patricia said they would bring us a cheque each for the fund. A few minutes ago Maryse came with the cheques, which have already been converted to sterling and paid into the fund (which now lies somewhere between 113% and 114% of the original target.

During VBW I met many people who promised to donate (and I was not asking them to do so) but who have not come good. But not one French person has failed to live up to such promises.