Sunday Times 2
SriLankan Airlines becomes part of Beefy’s final charity walk
View(s):SriLankan Airlines, the National Carrier of Sri Lanka was the proud sponsor of the Australian leg of Sir Ian Botham’s famed charity walk “Beefy’ Trek Down Under,” which took place recently. The Airline facilitated Sir Botham and his team’s journey from London to its newest connectivity addition, Melbourne via its Colombo hub.
Sir Ian Botham with a group of participants of ‘Beefy’ Trek Down Under.’
Having retired from international cricket 30 years ago, the 62-year old cricket legend did not want to rest his trainers without a walk across Australia and his last two walks have been in Sri Lanka and South Africa.“Beefy’ Trek Down Under” was the final in the series of 18 charity walks which consisted of four mini walks held in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide with hundreds of supporters trailing with him through picturesque terrain in support of causes closest to Sir Botham’s heart.
SriLankan Airlines first extended its co-operation to Sir Botham in 2013 during Beefy’s Big Sri Lanka Walk which garnered much public interest given the opportunity it offered to walk alongside many national and international cricket legends to support a worthy cause. His walk in Sri Lanka spanned 160 miles in eight days starting from Kilinochchi in the North to Galle in the South of Sri Lanka to raise funds for the underprivileged children in Sri Lanka.
Sir Botham was first inspired to walk for charity following an emotional encounter with a group of children suffering from Leukemia during one of his visits to the hospital. The proceeds of Beefy’s Walks, which reached 30 million pounds with the conclusion of the final walk, are utilized for leukemia research, the fight against Type 1 Diabetes and the auto-immune disease.
SriLankan Cares, the Community development arm of SriLankan Airlines, has been steering many projects to enhance healthcare and educational opportunities for children and youth of the country. It has also partnered notable charities and community welfare movements to support the under-privileged and the needy.
SriLankan Airlines, Manager Australia Mr. Sanjeeva Jayatileke with Sir Ian Botham and the team members.