Beardies And Baldies Against Bombs

A couple of mates of mine, Beardy Rob (aka Robert) and Ratty (aka Richard) are doing a great (and knackering just to think about) thing – they’re cycling from Land’s End to John O’ Groats (about 1000 miles) to raise money for the Mines Advisory Group. For those who don’t know, MAG works to clear land mines and other weapons from areas of conflict so that people don’t get blown to bits, as well as working closely with communities in the affected areas:

MAG moves into current and former conflict zones to clear the remnants of those conflicts, enabling recovery and assisting the development of affected populations. MAG consults with local communities and works to lessen the threat of death and injury, while releasing reclaimed and safe land and other vital resources back to the local population, helping countries to rebuild and develop their social and economic potential.

Beardy Rob is a Turbojugend fiend, responsible for all manner of camp leather-and-denim madness, and Ratty is the semi-retired guitarist from legendary-in-their-own-lunchtimes Bristol hardcore loons The Herb Garden. They’re funding the trip themselves and all the sponsorship money they raise will go straight to MAG to help them continue their invaluable campaigns.

I’ve given away a lot of free music here and it’s rare that I ask for something in return but, on this occasion, I’m asking anyone who reads this to give up a couple of pints and throw a few quid into the bucket for this worthy cause. If you can’t make an online donation, drop me an email and I’ll sort something out with you. You’ve only got to give up a beer to do your bit, others literally put their lives on the line to carry out this vital work.

Innocent people shouldn’t have stumps where their arms and legs should be just because others decide to go to war.

Image © Sean Sutton/MAG