Lord Michael Bates, Deputy Speaker of the UK House of Lords, recently set off from 10 Downing Street in London to begin his plan to hike 800 kilometers to raise funds for Syrian refugee children. The entire journey will take six weeks, with an expected arrival at the finish line by early September at Lough Erne in Northern Ireland.
So far, Bates has hiked over 300 kilometers and raised more than £22,000 in donations. He is pleased with this achievement and looks forward to reaching and surpassing the original target of £25,000, which will help more Syrian refugee families and children.
Each day of the hike, Bates updates his Twitter and blog. His wife, Xuelin Bates, President of the Zhejiang Association UK, along with two assistants, promptly translate this information into Chinese and post it on Chinese Weibo and WeChat. An increasing number of Chinese netizens are following and participating in his campaign online. Lord Bates expressed gratitude for the support from the British Chinese community and Chinese netizens.
Bates’ hiking journey began at 10 Downing Street, the residence of the British Prime Minister. At exactly 11:00 a.m. that day, as the deep chimes of Big Ben rang out, Bates started his first mile on foot. Like a seasoned guide, he led everyone through Whitehall Parade Grounds, along the Mall, heading towards Buckingham Palace. After completing the first mile, Bates bid farewell to family and friends and continued the rest of the journey alone — thus began his six-week solo hike.
In his blog that day, he wrote: “Heading towards Heathrow along the A4 Brompton Road, Cromwell Road, and Talgarth Road — that was my goal for the first day. The weather was hot and stuffy — the 29-degree temperature made the walk more challenging. After five miles, I took my first break at the BP garage and M&S near Hammersmith Flyover.”
During the first week of the hike, the UK experienced decades-high temperatures, with several days exceeding 32°C. Despite the heat, Lord Bates continued hiking, even covering more ground than originally planned.
Along the way, Bates’ blog not only documents his hiking and fundraising experiences but also shares historical anecdotes about the UK. For example, upon arriving in Oxford, he wrote: “Among the many colleges of the University of Oxford, the Divinity School is the largest — so large, in fact, that it can hardly be called a college. It was originally a cathedral funded by Henry VIII in 1531, commonly referred to as ‘that building,’ and also served as the headquarters of the Royalist government during the English Civil War.”
Bates’ charitable walk has drawn considerable attention. In the UK political sphere, the Speaker of the House of Lords and numerous members of parliament have enthusiastically donated to support his cause. Well-known British foundations and corporate groups have also contributed. Many overseas Chinese in the UK, as well as donors from mainland China and Hong Kong, have also sent in donations.
“I’ve received many messages from people in China, which have been very touching and encouraging,” said Lord Bates.