PRESS RELEASE

Date: 2nd September2012 8 pm) Garry goes the extra mile for the Coffee Caravan
The Rural Coffee Caravan Information Projects Garry Simmonds begins his mammoth 100 mile walk on 5 September 2012. He starts at Landguard Fort in Felixstowe at 9am on Wednesday and over the following 8 days he will walk to Lowestoft and back again. Garry will camp out in a tiny tent he can carry on his back but he has gladly accepted the offer of a room at the White Lion Hotel in Aldeburgh for his last night and will arrive back at Languard Fort on 13 September hopefully around 4pm. Garry, who has been the project officer since April 2010 is doing the walk because he wants to raise awareness of their work and raise much needed funds at the same time. The charity is unique to Suffolk and has a very innovative way of tacking the problems of rural isolation. Using mobile (free) communities cafes/information centres, the Coffee Caravan visits rural locations in Suffolk for 2 hours at a time enabling the most isolated to access information about vital services that may enhance and improve their lives, at the same time providing a social opportunity, a friendly ear, a chat and a cuppa. For many people in isolated locations, this is a lifeline. Canon Sally Fogden, Project Founder and Ann Osborn Project Manager will be there to see him off and very much hope that friends and supporters of the Project will be there too. Sally, says we are extremely proud of Garry and touched by his wish to go above beyond the call of duty to support the charity in this way. The first day will end at the Froize Inn in Chillesford where Garry will camp for the night. David Grimwood , landlord of this lovely Inn is kindly hosting a BBQ to coincide with Garrys arrival (food proceeds to the charity). This is open to the public so anyone wishing to attend should call Ann Osborn on 01379 855338 by lunchtime today (Sept 3rd)
The Rural Coffee Caravan service needs to reach more people living in rural areas and

enable them to access vital services to improve their lives. By sponsoring Garry's mammoth effort, you can help us to achieve this. Garys fundraising pages are: https://mydonate.bt.com/events/garry100miles/88267
Or see the link on our website: www.ruralcoffeecaravan.org.uk Garry will tweet along the way so keep up with his progress and give him support by following @garrysimmonds

PRESS RELEASE
ENDS For further information please contact the Rural Coffee Caravan Information Service on 01379 855338 EDITOR NOTES The Rural Coffee Caravan Information Project in Suffolk is a small community project working to combat rural isolation; ensuring that people living in this rural area receive friendship through coffee, tea and homemade cakes, along with essential information about local organisations and the services they offer. Their mobile caravan visits villages with few or no amenities and offers a free caf, usually set up on the village green, and access to a wealth of information aimed at improving quality of life e.g. health, benefits, support groups and local organisations. They work closely with the agencies offering these services and their volunteers chat with visitors and introduce those that haven't met with the aim of building community spirit and cohesion and reducing loneliness. In addition, they offer to help communities set up their own groups and also visit other coffee mornings and lunch clubs to offer access to the information. The Project also holds regular and increasingly popular Golden Age Fairs in rural and semi rural locations, bringing support agencies, sporting, cultural and entertaining activities together under one roof alongside a free afternoon tea, offering large numbers of visitors the chance to access a wide range of information whilst enjoying a free day out. For more details please contact us using these details. For more information contact Ann Osborn, Project Manager, Rural Coffee Caravan Information Project, The Old Shop, Harleston Rd, Weybread, Diss, IP21 5TU. Tel: 01379 855338 www.ruralcoffeecaravan.org.uk