Defiant message to terrorists

03 August 2005

FUND-raiser,Steve Wilson is planning to visit all 264 stations on the London underground network as a defiant message to terrorists.

Steve, 19, from Sylvan Avenue, Chadwell Heath, is hoping his own charity challenge will raise more than £750 and send a "we are not afraid' message to the terrorists who are trying to intimidate London's commuters.

Mr Wilson said: "If we let these terrorists change our lives then we are letting them win. The London bombings affected me and I think they affected the whole capital.

"I wanted to do this, not only to raise money for the London Bombing Relief Fund, but also to show these people that we will not be afraid to use our famous transport system. I have drawn up a few plans of how we are going to visit all the stations.

"Of course with the bombings ten stations are closed so instead of visiting 274 we are planning to do ten less, but we do have back up plans should any reopen."

Mr Wilson will be attempting the feat with ten friends in August. Overall, they hope to raise more than £7,500.

The world record for visiting all 274 stops on London's Underground is 18 hours and 45 minutes, which was set by Geoff Marshall and Neil Blake.

The pair are planning an attempt to break that record later this year in a similar act of defiance. Though Mr Wilson does not think he will match or beat the current record, he is still looking forward to the challenge.

"I am excited about the task but I think it will take around 19 to 20 hours to complete," he added.

"I am currently on a gap year, but soon I will be studying maths at Kings College so this should be a good introduction to using the train every day.

"It is also a personal achievement for me. Not many people can say that they have visited all the stations so I am sure I will feel good when I have finished. I know that everybody who is using public transport has the bombings in the back of their mind and that is where it should stay.

"I am hoping that this will show people that travelling on the train is safe and we should get on with our lives."

Anyone who would like to sponsor Mr Wilson should contact him on (0775) 1572924 or by email at stevewilson37529@aol.com