Busy, busy being creative..!

Sunday 14 June 2015

And we're off!!


Today is THE DAY!

By the time you read this I will be tearing down the Taff Trail (that's in Wales), looking sleak(ish) in Lycra, powered by my super fast legs which are glaring passers by due to their whiteness....

The adventure has BEGUN!

Mr CA is joining me on this first week of the trip and I'm so grateful for that. Especially as today there is a MASSIVE bike event on in Cardiff and most of the roads are closed. I needed to make sure I didn't get mixed up in that. You'd have easily spotted me though. Blue hair, blue mountain bike and going slower than anyone else!

Whist on this trip I won't be updating my blog as I'm not taking a laptop with me - I will though be using social media - so if you'd like to follow me it's easy to do. ;-)

Follow the adventure!

I will be updating details of the trip on twitter @morwhenna - Facebook: Morwhenna – The Creative Adventurer and Instagram – morwhenna woolcock. If you would like to follow me (and wave your pom poms in encouragement! Pls do – will be great having you along even virtually!

Trip Details

The route details are here – Brecons 2 Morwenstow. There are still a few ‘Postcards From A Pilgrim’ available to sponsor. I'm so looking forward to creating these to send out to those lovely people who have sponsored one already!

If you are on my route and fancy meeting for a cuppa or walking a bit with me – get in touch!



I'm Fundraising for The Stroke Association

I had a brain hemorrhage when I was 12 and I was completely paralysed down my left-hand side. 

I spent many weeks in hospital and the long road to recovery began. I have regained around 85% mobility *I'd say* - that is a rough estimate! I still walk with a limp as a result of a condition called Drop-Foot, which is a common side effect of Stroke. 

I'm grateful to have a STIMuSTEP implant from Salisbury Hospital in 2008 which has greatly helped my walking. You could say I'm semi-bionic! Even after all these years (28 this July!) - I'm still seeing improvements. 


Having a stroke so young is unusual, I was born with a blood clot which burst causing the stroke. It was the size of a golf ball when it popped. There was no warning and the teachers didn't know what was wrong. According to recent research strokes in young people are on the rise. I have a number of close friends who have been affected by Stroke. 

Making younger people aware of the signs of Stroke is very important as the sooner that person can get to hospital the better chance they have of recovery. 

If you would like to make a donation to The Stroke Association please go here

Thank you! 
xx


Monday 8 June 2015

The Countdown begins...!

Do you know anyone who might be able to help me please?
The excitement and anticipation (read - nerves) is building as the countdown begins to my next Creative Adventure...! 

On Sunday the 14 June I’m heading off on an adventure. 177 miles of adventure to be precise. That's 55 miles cycling and 122 miles walking. 
As you may already know (if I’ve not bored you to tears about it already) I’m about to set off on my first pilgrimage.

Way back in 2011 when I was going through a really difficult time I somehow (I can’t remember how exactly) discovered there was a Saint Morwenna who had a church and everything in Morwenstow, North Cornwall. I must have known this as I have a letter from the Bard of Cornwall written in the 70s talking about this - but had somehow totally forgotten about it until something sparked in my mind. This was the start of a bit of a research project and my first visit to Morwenstow. 

Looking back I think this interest really helped me on the road to recovery. I had been signed off work at this point with severe depression and had been going through serious burnout or breakdown – however you want to call it. I slept a lot and could barely make any kind of decision about anything. Having something to start to focus on helped. (Along with baking muffins, art therapy and CBT…to name a few things!)

This ‘New’ project started to get me excited about things again.

After visiting Morwenstow and seeing the church and stained glass window depicting St. Morwenna, it got me thinking about who she really was. What was her story? How did she become a Saint? (Research has led me to discover Saints were all the rage in Medieval times!) What was her life like? What would life have been like in the 5thcentury? What would it be like to travel ‘roughly’ in her footsteps….BAM! An idea had formed.
St.Morwenna - did she really look like this??
I started to do more research and learn all I could. I decided to follow in her footsteps in the summer of 2012. That was the plan. I got well enough to go back to work. Although by this point I seriously knew I had to do something differently as there was a risk I would just end up back in that same dark hole. I left my job in January 2012.

Things were moving along with the planning and then a spanner was thrown into the mix which meant I was no longer able to do the trip that year. So this idea to follow ‘roughly’ in St. Morwenna’s footsteps was put on hold. 

Since then it’s been there nagging away at me – Even after spending 6 weeks in Thailand last year with Art relief international – this pilgrimage was still wanting attention. So this year – I am doing it.

I thought it was important to share with you where this particular creative adventure has stemmed from and the fact that it has taken a few years for me to get to this point! Is there something nagging at you that needs doing? Travelling? Learning something new? What?

Now, I am in a much better place mentally and physically as I have been training for this. I’m not uber fit by any stretch of the imagination – but I have been training for long distance and endurance so I know it will be a different experience. I am hoping will give me some insights personally and also to prove to myself I can do it. As you may know I had a brain haemorrhage – a type of stroke when I was 12. I was paralysed down my left hand side and had to learn to walk again. My nickname in hospital was Bambi! I know I have made a great recovery but I do still have some walking difficulties.

This time I also thought it would be a good opportunity to raise awareness about Stroke in young people (it is on the rise) and to raise funds for them too so there is an opportunity to make a donation if folks would like to.

This is one of the things that has been occupying my brain capacity for the past few months! I still need to share with you about the other things that have been happening – the Hot Air Ballooning, Beltane in Edinburgh and just last month running my first Creative Adventure on Lundy Island – so will share about these and lessons learnt once this pilgrimage has been completed. ;-)

So off I go! Toot Toot!

I will be updating details of the trip on twitter @morwhenna - Facebook: Morwhenna – The Creative Adventurer and Instagram – morwhenna woolcock. If you would like to follow me (and wave your pom poms in encouragement! Pls do – will be great having you along even virtually!

The route details are here – Brecons 2 Morwenstow
And there are still a few ‘Postcards From A Pilgrim’ available to sponsor. I'm so looking forward to creating these to send out to those lovely people who have sponsored one already!
If you would like to make a donation to The Stroke Association please go here

And if you are on my route and fancy meeting for a cuppa – get in touch!

I’ve also created some Pilgrim cards that I’ll be taking with me to give out to people I meet on the way. On the back I’ve put a question:

How can you invite creative adventure into your life?

What would your answer be?

Let me hear your ideas and have a great week

Love & Creative Adventures
Morwhenna
xx
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I'm very grateful to be support on this trip by Pulsin - who have supplied me with plenty of natural protein bars to keep me going (powered by Pulsin!). They are a British company set up by three friends who went to Bristol Uni together. Do check out what they do and their story. And Great Art who have supplied my with a travel watercolour set and postcards for my 'Postcards from a Pilgrim.'  THANK YOU!