A Walk for the Village School

It was a typical early evening in our village back in April 2024. I had been out for a short cycle ride and was relaxing on the veranda, while Taew tended her garden. A distant relative dropped off envelopes at our house and next door, suggesting that an event was coming up. I had little idea it would involve me doing a 21km sponsored walk to watch football and raise money for the local school.

Village Community Spirit

When my wife had finished her tasks and we sat down to eat, I asked what Bodyguard had delivered. Bodyguard isn't his real name, but on my first visit to the village, he told me he was going to be my bodyguard, and the name stuck.

Min, to give him his Thai name, is a wonderful character and a builder by trade. He’s continually positive and smiling and looked after all my Western friends at our wedding by making sure they were supplied with cold beers throughout the day.

Anyway, on this occasion, he was on a mission on behalf of the village and its primary school. Taew explained that only schools with over 100 pupils received full government financial support. Suan Kluai School only had 51. The new headmistress wanted to improve facilities but didn’t have the cash to do so.

The fear was that the school might eventually close if it couldn't afford enough teachers to give each year group the education it needed. Meanwhile, the buildings were beginning to deteriorate. I immediately got my own thinking cap on, wanting to do something about the situation.

Close to Our Hearts

The school was close to our hearts. Taew and her siblings all attended when they were young. Before our wedding, we took food to the school and fed the kids one lunchtime to introduce ourselves to them, giving them a special treat along the way. 

I suggested that I do a sponsored walk to a football match 10 days later. I attended most Sisaket United home games, and I’m always looking for new adventures. This seemed to fit perfectly. The game was kicking off at 6 pm, and the distance was 21km, meaning a 10 am start and breaking the walk down with breaks along the way.

Taew was unsure, but I was adamant that I could do it, with my main concern being the temperatures, which could reach 40 degrees at that time of year. That is where teamwork would kick in, as my good lady would be my backup in the car, providing me with drinks.

I set about making some posters for social media and started contacting my friends far and wide, looking for sponsorship. Min had delivered envelopes to every home in the village, with those who could afford it contributing. My feedback was most promising by the time I was ready to go on Sunday, 21st April.

All Smiles when Setting Off

Ready to Walk

Dressed in my England kit, I headed out, with some locals who knew of my endeavours giving me good luck messages as I passed through the village. The weather seemed kind, with a breeze providing some welcome relief as I entered the countryside along roads with little protection and no pavements, not that traffic was a concern.

My first stop was to be at Auntie Lamyong and Uncle Wah’s home, over 7km away. I didn’t feel too bad, as I took off my trainers to allow my feet to breathe, while drinking water and eating some fruit. Boet and Kim, two of Taew’s nephews, were as ever delighted to see us.

Boet thought I had dressed up to play football with him, so I had a brief kickabout. He was told what I was doing and quickly accepted an invite to travel in the car. He loved football yet remarkably didn’t know there was a stadium in town and Sisaket had a football team. Like many Thai youngsters, he cheered the English Premier League.

Taew had taken a towel, which she doused in cold water, and passed it to me as I set out on the next leg to the village of Phon Kha, over 5km up the road. I listened to podcasts and music as I walked, helping take my mind away from the heat and distances.

Nearly every village has a small coffee shop or open-plan restaurant. I told Taew to find the one in Phon Kha and send me its location. Sure enough, she and Boet were sitting outside a little café in the shape of a hut with seats outside. They even sold toasted fruit loaf, which I greatly appreciated.

I must confess that I was now beginning to understand why locals thought I was slightly crazy when they heard about my plans. Thankfully, Taew also saw that I was beginning to slow down and was tiring, stopping more regularly in the car with water and a cold towel.

My Backup Crew

A Familiar Route

The route was familiar, being the quickest to Sisaket town from home, with us stopping a couple of times at a restaurant on my next leg. That was to Kut Ngon, just under 4km away. I knew that once I reached Kut Ngon, I would have broken the back of the challenge.

Again, my entourage had found somewhere with outdoor seating where we stopped for a rest so I could take on liquids and eat some fruit. It was then time to hit the dual carriageway of the 221 road to the stadium. 

The heat by now was really affecting my comfort and energy levels. My feet were becoming blistered while the sun on the back of my neck stung. I told Taew to go on ahead to the PTT service station 3km up the main road, where I would meet her and Boet.

With no pavements, no shelter, and large lorries whizzing by, I had to be at my most vigilant as I walked and hobbled along the hard shoulder facing the traffic. Turning the bend and going past familiar large outlets comforted me as the city skyline came into view, knowing that time was on my side.

At the services, I took on isotonic drinks, had an ice cream, and took off my trainers once more. My friend John was meeting us at the stadium, so I phoned him and asked him to bring me a pizza from the Hong Kong Garden restaurant, where we normally relaxed before heading to a match. 

The last stretch was agony. It was short of 3km, but any more would have been an ordeal. If it wasn’t for my pride, stubbornness and the kids whom I would have let down, I would have got in the car and abandoned the target.

I love seeing the floodlights of any stadium wherever I am, but this time them coming into view was extra special. Thankfully, the Sri Nakhon Lamduan Stadium was on the near side of town, and Taew managed to find a parking spot nearest to the entrance to the arena.

She had brought me my flip-flops so that I could take off my socks and trainers. My feet were throbbing, and my whole body ached. Even eating and drinking were difficult until my body gradually cooled down and began to relax. Anyone watching me climb the steps to the stand must have thought I was drunk, as I was so unsteady on my feet.

Presentation Night at the School

Destination and Joy

Seeing Boet’s face as he looked around and watched his first-ever live football game was an amazing buzz to me. The match was excellent for his debut, with a large, passionate crowd and a good game. When we dropped him off at home, he wanted to watch it again on YouTube and was telling his elders all about it.

I managed to eventually finish the pizza and have a bottle of beer. When we got home, I struggled to walk and shower. Taew burst my blisters and dressed my feet, with the pain coming back when getting up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and forgetting about what I had done.

Presentation Time

The reason why I walked when I did was that it was the final game of the football season, and a couple of weeks later, the school staged a presentation evening. What an evening that turned out to be.

Out on the playing field, a stage set on the back of a truck arrived, while villagers congregated to eat and drink and watch entertainment provided by singers and dancers. Before the real fun began, the cash presentations took place, where I was proud to hand over an envelope containing 61,000THB, or £1,314 in GDP. 

The following morning, an event took place at the school where villagers handed over more cash, some in the form of a money tree. No, that’s not the mythical structure politicians used in their propaganda, but a stalk where people fixed notes that were presented to the school. The total amount raised was around 250,000 THB or £5,600 in GDP. 

The New Kindergarten Block

Birthday Surprise

A few months later, it was Taew’s birthday. She decided to hire someone to go to the school with an ice cream sidecar and give the kids a treat, the same as we had done when I celebrated. It was a lovely occasion, shared with friends who were visiting us.

The headmistress then surprised us, taking us past the main school building, where a new structure was taking place. Supervising was none other than Min, AKA Bodyguard. The money raised had been used to build a new kindergarten block. 

For the first time, kids of that age would benefit from learning in a classroom with air-conditioning and indoor toilets, thus making the school more attractive to those wanting to keep their kids local and enhancing the chances of it remaining open.

My walk might have caused me some short-term pain, but it was worth every step knowing the local school would benefit from new facilities that could help keep it open for future generations.

If you enjoyed this story, feel free to check out my YouTube channel, where I share videos about everyday life in Thailand, local football, and travel across the country.
Thanks for reading.