Gareth Morris, former Stratford teacher, in Uganda.

Big hearted Stratford teacher meets gorillas on African journey

by Melissa York, Reporter Thursday, July 19, 2012
7:00 AM

Stratford teacher Gareth Morris is coming to the final part of his epic journey to cycle to Africa in aid of Street children.

Gareth, who used to teach Years One and Two at Gainsborough Primary School, is riding in a team of six over 12,000 miles.

They set off from Russell Square on August 7 2011 before journeying to Hastings to Europe, the Middle East and then Africa.

Setting off from Uganda, the Cycle Africa team took in sites including Lake Bunyioni, the Kigazi hills, and the Virunga Volcano Park where they got two to three metres away from a family of gorillas.

Gareth, who has been blogging and tweeting about his journey, wrote after meeting them: “This is probably one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.

“I spent the whole hour in awe of these amazing creatures.”

The team, who left their jobs to take part, hope to raise a total of £100,000 with the support of charities such as Street Action, Retrak, Street Child Africa and projects they will be visiting along the way.

After the gorillas, the team faced Rwanda, or the Land of a Thousand Hills, as it is often called which was no mean feat on a bike.

Gareth wrote: “We had to use every bit of strength to get through this gruelling day.

“The cycling was tough but rewarding. Villagers were all greeting us and I even stopped to help a cyclist whose load of 6ft planks had toppled down into a ditch: much to the amusement of the villagers.”

Currently cycling through Tanzania, the team hope to finish their journey this month.

Follow Gareth’s progress at www.cycleafrica.org or on Twitter @cycleafrica.