Today was a day anticipated for a long, long time: the last day of the European World Harmony Run 2006. Many weeks and months of planning and organizing by the English coordinators went into this day to make it as memorable as possible - and they surely succeeded! Read the final ceremony report for all the details.

Before the final ceremony, which was scheduled at 2 o'clock, we had a few meetings in London for which we had to split up the team. So like yesterday there was a white van team and a silver van team. But we always stay in touch :-).

Here are their respective reports:

White van team report by Abhinabha:

Our team left at 10 a.m. and ran a mile towards St. Paul’s Primary School. The head teacher had assembled a big group of children and helped us out in the guess-the-country game by pointing out the children to give the answers. They were very smart and, indeed, very enthusiastic kids. They sang us a beautiful song as well.

After a short but sweet presentation we left St. Paul’s and went running through central London towards the Ormond Grove hospital, where we met a group of children from the hospital’s small school.

It’s a great initiative of the hospital to provide the children staying there with the education they will need later on in their lives. As the team formed a circle around the children we sang them our World Harmony Run Song and answered some of their questions. They were very curious to know how we actually crossed the Channel and if we didn’t have to swim.

From Ormond Grove we made our way to the SOAS, the School for Oriental and African Studies, where we met the other team who were just being received by the director of SOAS, professor Paul Webley.

We had a great meeting with him - details of which can be found in the report by Abhichal below - and afterwards enjoyed a complimentary lunch in their cantina. Ondrej had to promise Mr. Webley that we would come back hopefuly next year, as he really insisted. Plus, he promised to run with us then - we will definitely keep him to that promise! We are extremely grateful to professor Webley and the people at SOAS for receiving us so warm-heartedly and yes, we will come back next time!

Silver van team report by Abhichal

And the final day began at St Paul’s Cathedral where we were met by Canon Martin Warner who offered a blessing for the Harmony Torch after drawing parallels with the goals of the Church and the aspirations of the Harmony Run.

The increasing multicultural diversity within the local communities today demands that the old ways transform to meet new needs and it seems that this transformation is indeed underway.

After a brief visit, behind the huge outer doors, inside the beautiful 300 year old Cathedral designed by the architect Sir Christopher Wren, we were wished on our way by Canon Warner and we quickly moved off to our next port of call, Westiminster Abbey.

We made our way through the streets of London toward Westminster with the ever stately Big Ben and the London Eye as landmarks toward which the International Team flowed.

It was low-tide as the runners crossed Westminster Bridge and ran toward the Abbey car park where Canon Jane Hedges waited to welcome them.

After team leader Ondrej made the official presentation, the group was led inside the Abbey where Canon hedges gave the Torch a Celtic blessing.

The prayer sounds like a universal benediction and the words were as follows:

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields

and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Very appropriate for the team members.

As we left the Abbey there was a small crowd of Japanese tourists gathered at the gate; they cheered and took photos as we began jogging up the road to our next destination - Westminster Cathedral.

As we ran up Victoria St. we passed the home of Run and Become, one of the main supporters of the Harmony Run in the UK and indeed several of the staff had joined the Team for the day, to whom we are very grateful.

Westminster Cathedral welcomed the International team in the guise of Father Slavomir Witon a kindly looking man who never stopped smiling.

Father Witon blessed the torch and ran a few steps across the plaza in front of the Cathedral. This is always an inspiring gesture to the team who feel it as a connecting gesture with the spirit of the Harmony Run. This was another brief but poignant visit and the team Captain expressed his gratitude before we made our way to the School of Oriental and African Studies - or SOAS as it's better known.

Part of the University of London, built in 1916, located in the heart of the capital, SOAS is renowned as the world's leading centre for the study of a highly diverse range of subjects concerned with Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Here when the Team arrived, Professor Paul Webley and Michael Sherry were ready to accept the Harmony Run Torch on the steps of the building.

After the team leader offered the Harmony Torch to Professor Webley who carried it across the road to another building where we were shown up to a rooftop Zen garden. Here we had the presentation proper and were requested to sing the Harmony Run song in a language other than English. Fortunately enough Team members remained from the Welsh leg of the Run who had learnt the song in Welsh and were able to produce a passable rendition. Fortunately nobody present spoke Welsh and so everyone applauded our effort. Professor Webley spoke about the work of S.O.A.S. and it was clear that S.O.A.S.’s goals were the same as those of the Harmony Run and and to the delight of the Team, Professor Webley invited the Harmony back next year with the promise of involving more students. We look forward to returning.

So that was it. It just remained for the runners to run a few hundred metres to where the final ceremony was to take place at the British Museum and waited for their moment to arrive when they would take the stage for the last time on the 2006 European Harmony Run.

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Distance: 17km

Team Members:
Ondrej Vesely (Czech Republic), Sahana Gero (England), Devashishu Torpy (England), Sahadeva Torpy (England), Nurari Merry (England), Amelia Lloyd (England), Stephen Guy (England), Balavan Thomas (England), Sanjaya Spettigue (England), Abichal Watkins (Wales), Shyamala Stott (Scotland), Andrea Fidrmuc (Slovakia), Laurence Idrissi (France), Sonia Bailles (France), Daniel Bailles (France), Abhinabha Tangerman (Holland), Sabine Meyer (Belgium), Marc Schrader (Germany), Angela Muhls (Germany), Nataliya Lehonkova (Ukraine), Sabine Paal (Austria), Edi Brodtrager (Austria), Martin Leitner (Austria), Dipavajan Renner (Austria), Erika Pongracz (Hungary), Zuzana Tobolkova (Czech Republic), Bakul Keaney (Ireland), Sandro Zincarini (Italy), Franco Bossi (Italy), Roberto Boscaini (Italy), Romano Ferrari (Italy), Silvia Di Nunzio (Italy), Sara Cusmano (Italy), Francesco Morianni (Italy), Salil Wilson (Australia).

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

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