Weāre off on our 2026 virtual cycle/walk/run challenge!
First update from
Speedy Springbok ā¦
Good day, all you trekkers. The World Cup football and the Commonwealth Games are over and now it is time for THE PREMIER sporting event of the year ā the Great Garden Route Trek! What better way to explore the magnificent Garden Route, visiting the GRCT projects and, at the same time, keeping fit and helping to feed children in need!
We already have an amazing number of participants signed up to cover the miles by running, swimming, cycling, spinning, walking, and ā¦
Speedy Springbok has come back from his long sabbatical in the Kalahari Desert, and he is fit and raring to go. I know that you are too so please watch the video to see the official Start. Finally, as the South Africans would say: put on your takkies (trainers), pack your biltong (dried meat) and naartjies (tangerines), and hamba kahle (go well)!
Our starting point is the beautiful town of Wellington, about 75 km north-east of Cape Town and at the base of one of the oldest mountain passes in South Africa, Bainās Kloof Pass, built by master road-builder Andrew Geddes Bain. Originally known as Limiet Valley (border or frontier valley), the area became known as Wagenmakersvallei (Valley of the Wagonmaker) toward the end of the seventeenth century when the French Huguenots settled there. After the formal establishment of the town in 1840, the name was changed to Wellington in honour of Arthur Wellesley,1st Duke of Wellington, renowned soldier and conqueror of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. It is famous for its deciduous fruit, especially grapes, and its range of quality red and white wines.
The New Rest informal settlement lies on the periphery of the town hidden from view and certainly not on the tourist route. Those who live there, and in surrounding areas with more formal housing, face economic hardship and social problems such as alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, gang crime and sexual exploitation. Many of the households live below the extreme poverty threshold of Ā£3 a day.
We work with an amazing charity called Mas vir Wellington (Mothers for Wellington), which was started in 2009 by a group of Christian mothers with a heart for the poor and the marginalised. They focus on two programmes, including education for about 100 3- to 5-year-olds and support for 20 intellectually disabled adults. What makes them special, is that they also work with more than 40 volunteer mothers from the community.
The eāPap breakfasts we provide make a huge difference to the lives of both the preschool children and the disabled adults. If you would like more information, please do read the Mothers for Wellington Annual Report – 2025 Final Landscape MVW Annual Report – Ma’s vir Wellington ā it is truly inspiring.
Click here to read Speedy Springbokās second blog entry >
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