History
The story has been told often enough – "The Bermuda End-To-End was started by three friends who decided to walk from one end of the island to the other".
Back in 1988 Paul Rowlerson, Jon Borrill and Clive Cotton were all working for Johnson & Higgins, the insurance company manager. Paul had arrived on the island first in 1985 and Jon and Clive had arrived not long afterwards. Paul and Clive already knew each other having worked together in London and they now found themselves working with Jon on a computer project for the company.
As Clive remembers it, Phillip Simpson, a fellow employee and a keen runner was talking about running the length of the island using the railway trails. Clive, not being the running type, suggested to Paul and Jon the idea of walking the route instead. Word of this informal stroll spread and soon there were a number of people interested in tackling the distance. There was no organizing committee, no marshals, no planned water stops and even the route was a little uncertain. A test walk was organized from Barnes Corner to Dockyard and much to everyone’s surprise a large number of people turned out.
The idea of a long distance walk seemed to have caught on! The concept of turning this into a charity event then developed with no real thought that it would be anything more than a “one-off” event. As with many good ideas it didn’t start with a “Grand Vision”, but with just three friends planning to raise a little money for local charities while getting some much needed exercise. Once Paul, Jon and Clive realised that quite a few others would be joining them they decided to put in some support on the route. Some water-stops were organised and the route explored. Police permission was obtained and a pledge sheet was sketched out for participants to raise funds. Without any form of committee to work with, the three friends used local contacts to select three deserving causes to receive whatever funds were raised. These were Hope Homes (later to become a frequent recipient), The Bermuda Society for the Blind and the Rape Crisis Centre.
The day of the walk it was perfect, beautiful weather Some 186 people turned out to walk and $43,200 was raised. Bearing in mind this was well before the days of full media publicity, web registration, television advertisements and the involvement of hundreds of volunteers; Paul, Jon and Clive were amazed at the success The idea had captured the imagination of the community and just had to be repeated The End-To-End was born.
Throughout the early years the organisation grew in sophistication and size. The team grew to include specialists for medical, financial control and logistics. Legal and liability issues were also resolved. Many local companies became involved by donating services and facilities such as The MarketPlace with supplies, Barritts & Son with bottled water and Johnson & Higgins, the “founders” employer providing a base of operations and administration. More and more companies, clubs and societies offered help until over 110 organisations were contributing to the success alongside hundreds of volunteers.
Many initiatives were tried to keep the event fresh and exciting. The destination and starting points were occasionally switched, although this was later discontinued for safety reasons and a St George to Dockyard route settled on since the roads had to be extensively used at the St Georges end of the route. Fund raising "carbo-loading" dinners were introduced, celebrities were brought to the island such as Paula Zahn, now the news-anchor for CNN who at the time was host of the CBS morning show. There were marching bands, training walks, events for "tots", raffle prizes, T-shirts and silent auctions. Not all of the ideas worked. There was an idea for a "dance marathon" that never worked out. The cast for The Young and the Restless wanted too much money to come to the island. The Guinness Book of Records wouldn’t sanction the event.
Clive Cotton moved on to other things but Jon Borrill and Paul Rowlerson stayed on the organising team until their eventual departures from the island, Jon in 1994 and Paul in 2001. Following his departure from the island in 1990, Clive has been working in the U.K. and Japan and has recently started a well earned self-financed sabbatical. Jon went on to work in Dublin and now lives in Vancouver, Canada. Paul has finally settled near Barcelona, Spain.
All have kept in touch with friends in Bermuda and have made trips back to have a look at what they started 20 years ago. They have been amazed at the energy and commitment of the End-To-End Committee that has nurtured and developed the event far beyond its initial beginnings. The Committee and the thousands upon thousands of people who have walked, paddled, cycled, canoed, ridden, and wheel-chaired the event are the ones who keep this alive. Paul, Jon and Clive were there at the birth, but how the baby has grown! The End-To-End has become part of the Bermuda calendar, raising huge amounts of money and helping so many Bermuda charities. Who can guess what the next 20 years will bring?
