PRESS RELEASE

Date: 12th September 2012 4pm) Garry to be greeted by Chairman of Suffolk County Council after 100 mile Coastal trek for the Coffee Caravan
The Rural Coffee Caravan Information Projects Garry Simmonds is on course to finish his mammoth 100 mile walk tomorrow 13 th September 2012 at 1.30pm . He will be welcomed back at Landguard Fort by the Chairman of Suffolk County Council Jeremy Pembroke who will present him with a well earned Gold medal Garry started at Landguard Fort in Felixstowe at 9am on Wednesday 5th September and over the following 8 days he walked to Lowestoft and back again. Mostly camping camp in a tiny tent Garry enjoyed one night in a room offered by the White Lion Hotel in Aldeburgh , and another in a barn in a secret walled garden in Dunwich. The project was also supported by David Grimwood of the Froize at Chillesford who hosted a BBQ Garry at the end of his first day. This raised 500 of Garrys 4.200 target. 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 as he finishes his walk he will have raised about 3.300 and donations can still be made by cheque or online until the end of September 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, founder of the charity says
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

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