Today we split up our teams in two, to attend local events in Liverpool and Manchester at the same time. We visited four schools in both cities as well as city hall. Then we ran north to Preston.

Manchester team started off at Wilbraham Primary school at 9am and dazzled the children with our new skit routine about harmony with Nurari Merry stealing the show acting as an old lady.We ran all together with children outside.

At Claremont Primary School, our next stop, we were ushered out to the playing field where an eager group of children awaited us and our animated explanation of the run and its concept. I had heard that Moss side was a difficult area, but the attention and respect of these children did not at all live up to this reputation.

We were even introduced to a girl named Harmony who led the rest of the children in a little run around the field.

Next we raced on to Brookburn school where we were pressed for time a little, but not enough to avoid noticing the exuberance of the children when we asked if they wanted to run with the torch. A local newspaper photographer barely managed to get a running group photo before he was surrounded by these enthusiastic children screaming to hold the torch. Without the commanding presence of headmaster John Sumner, we would never have been able to run out of this school in possession of the torch.

Our next port of call was the Town Hall right in the heart of this up and coming city. The councillors Tony Burns and Bill Risbui, were there to meet us and the representatives of the 3 primary schools just visited and members of staff from the Days Inn (our previous night’s accomodation).

Local TV station interviewed us there. After the usual photo shoots, we were given an informative tour of this grandiose building and served a much needed lunch.

Our final school of the day was in the quiet southern suburb of Didsbury where we were warmly greeted. What struck me most about these children was the volume of their screaming of the motto ‘Harmony begins with me’; I was almost knocked off my feet!

Then we continued our run towards Preston.

After completing our mileage for the day, the whole team then met up for dinner at a local family’s house. Amit, a local doctor, had heard about the run and spontaneously invited us to eat and stay the night with his parents, Krishna and Ramanand who not only welcomed us but fed us with the most delicious home cooked indian food. Soon enough we were singing and entertaining each other as if amongst family. A big thanks to them for a room to myself, a very rare experience on this trip!

In the morning the Liverpool team drove off with five runners to visit four elementary schools and the Lord Mayor. In Liverpool we met up with Hemabha, our Korean friend from London, who had come up to join us today.

Liverpool must be the friendliest place in all of Western Europe. It was just unbelievable how many people cheered us on when we were running through the city! Cars honking their horns, people clapping, schoolgirls spontaneously joining us running, construction workers coming down from their scaffolding to hold the torch…

I personally haven’t experienced such a spontaneous reception before in any city I’ve been to with the World Harmony Run. Three cheers for Liverpool!

We started our day in the Broadgreen primary school.

A hall filled with children was waiting for us. The teachers had put up a screen which displayed the logo of the World Harmony Run complete with aphorisms of Sri Chinmoy (the founder of the Run). We were very impressed!

We had expanded our classroom presentation somewhat and had added little skits showing harmony or disharmony. If it was harmony the children had to put their thumbs up and if it was disharmony they put their thumbs down. The kids really liked it and for us it was a great opportunity to get them more involved in the presentation (plus to improve our acting skills!). Because the more the children feel involved, the more they will remember the presentation and the more they will feel inspired by it.

We did a short relay with a few children on the schoolyard and made a nice action picture for the Liverpool Post and Echo photographer.

From Broadgreen we moved on to St. Anne’s Stanley primary school.

There we were heartily greeted by a teacher named Simon. He gave us a glowing introduction and made us feel completely at home in his school. The children from St. Anne’s were very well-behaved and attentive and our presentation came across quite well. Usually the presentation lasts about 30-40 minutes and consists of the following elements:

• a brief introduction of our Run

• a language game, where we speak in our own mother tongues and the children have to guess what country we are from

• singing our World Harmony Run Song

• playing skits, displaying harmony or disharmony

• a moment of silence, where we tell the children to close their eyes and try and to feel harmony within their hearts

• shouting our motto with the children: “Harmony begins with me!”

• running with the children behind the torch over the schoolyard or field

• having the children touch the torch and make a wish for world-harmony

Doing these classroom presentations is really the highlight of the Run - at least for me. Seeing the children’s eyes light up and sharing in their exuberance and spontaneity just gives you so much energy and joy, which carries you through all the miles of this running journey.

From St. Anne’s Stanley we ran three and a half miles to the Faith Primary School, where the teachers had allowed the children to wear any costume they wanted, since the World Harmony Run was coming to visit. Nearly everyone had decided to wear their favourite football jerseys. We saw a lot red from the Liverpool F.C. and also a few Everton outfits - the other Liverpudlian football team - plus the national English jersey.

The children just loved the torch and insisted on running with it and holding it for as long as possible. Of course they all asked us what team we supported. And many kids kept telling me I looked like Peter Crouch, but I’m not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not.

Our fourth school was the “Our Lady Immaculate Primary School” - an old acquaintance from many years of harmony running and a great place to go back to. The school is situated in one of the poorer areas of town, but the children and teachers have the richest of hearts.

The children had made beautiful drawings for us and sang us an uplifting song. They loved the presentation and once outside they were dancing with joy running with the torch. One little girl insisted of going with us through all of Europe. When we asked her if she thought herself fit enough, she nodded confidently and said she would prove it by running two laps around the schoolyard, which she promptly did. Some of these children you actually do want to take with you - they just melt your heart. But we don’t want to upset their parents, so we always leave them behind. ;-)

When we said our goodbyes the school had a surprise for us in store. They donated one hundred pounds to the World Harmony Run - as a gift. We were simply overwhelmed by their kindness. And we are enormously grateful to them for everything.

Our last meeting of the day took place in the town hall, where we met with the Lord Mayor of Liverpool. She was a sprightly and lively lady, already eighty years old, but still full of energy, alertness and concern.

We had a very nice chat with her. She offered us a heartfelt message:

“You’ve done a marvellous job. If more people did the things you do, then the world would be a better place.”

After the town hall we drove to the well-known Hope Street, where we were offered complimentary rooms in the Hope Street Hotel. (www.hopestreethotel.co.uk) This hotel is definitely one of the nicest places we’ve stayed in so far. The rooms are so beautifully designed, we felt like walking into a fairytale.

If you ever come to Liverpool, this is the place to stay! We would like to thank the hotel for this wonderful stay in paradise.

It’s such a privilege to meet all these kind and big-hearted people. We truly feel blessed.

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Distance: 43km

Team Members:
Balavan Thomas (England), Nurari Merry (England), Erika Pongracz (Hungary), Abhinabha Tangerman (Holland), Hemabha Jang (South-Korea), Miroslav Pospisek (Czech Republic), Arthur (Poland), Nataliya Lehonkova (Ukraine), Ondrej Vesely (Czech Republic), Annemijn Schuringa (Holland), Bakul Keaney (Ireland), Mark Schrader (Germany).

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

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