The last time Liam Manning found himself in the Brecon Beacons, civil war had broken out in Wales and he had to navigate a 10-hour hike in a relentless storm while rescuing several of his colleagues from danger.
Okay, it was a role-playing exercise which formed part of the Premier League’s ECAS (Elite Coach Apprenticeship Scheme) programme, but there remains a certain association with hardship when discussing that particular area of the country.
Something that’s only likely to be enhanced next month when he, his coaching staff and other individuals connected with Bristol City such as BBC Radio Bristol’s Joe Sims attempt to trek Pen y Fan 10 times inside 24 hours, which is around 40 miles, just under the distance from Everest Base Camp to the summit.
The weather should be considerably better, although Chris Hogg’s north east roots have him pining for howling wind and rain to add to the overall difficulty, but it still makes for an imposing challenge. By his own admission, Manning likes a walk, to help clear the mind and get out in the open. But this is a little different.
Training has begun in earnest with those involved multitasking on the bikes at the HPC while also watching clips and analysing the opposition after training, stealing as much time as possible outside of the normal schedule ahead of the trip.
The reasons of course go far beyond individual suffering, as they’re doing it to raise money for Charlton Farm, part of the Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW), based just over a mile from the High Performance Centre. It's a charity and sanctuary that has a long history with City, but has had a significant impact on Manning and his players this season.
Opening in 2007 and converted from old farm buildings and barns on the Wraxall Estate, Charlton Farm provides hospice care for children and young people living with life-limiting conditions and their whole family. It’s one of three centres run by CHSW at a cost of just under £12million a year to provide free care for over 550 families in the South West.
“We obviously came just before Christmas as a group and naturally you’re a little bit uneasy in terms of what to expect, due to the nature of the care here and what they do, but all of us left here going, ‘wow, what a place’ and not just the place but the people here,” Manning said.
“They had a big impact on the group as a whole which is why we didn’t want to make it a one-off thing at Christmas, or a token visit, we wanted it to be something that we continued throughout the year, given it’s so close to where we are, that we can forge a link and relationship and try and build on some fantastic work that’s done here.
“You only have to look around the garden to see kids and players playing football together in the sunshine. You do turn up and expect it to be quite a down place but it’s the complete opposite in terms of it actually brings a real positive energy with the work they do. It’s a good reminder to all of us, how fortunate we are as people.
“What football does a fantastic job of is bring people together and create platforms for people to mix, communicate and look after each other. Covid was a great example of that with people being isolated and football stadiums were places for people of different backgrounds and challenges in life to get together and I definitely think, as an industry, it’s fantastic for supporting people.”
Around February, Manning held a team meeting in which he asked the squad to review the previous two months and outline what they had learned from performances, results, training and everything else between; invariably various tactical observations were made, conversations around what went right and wrong but there was one answer the head coach probably didn’t quite anticipate.
Discussing their visit to Charlton Farm, the players were particularly touched by one young lad whose personality and love of football had touched impacted involved on that trip over Christmas and subsequently he was invited to the HPC for a tour and play FIFA with some of his heroes.
News of his passing hit the squad hard, some were left in tears, but his presence has strengthened the bond with CHSW, understanding of the absolute vital and inspirational work they do and motivated Manning and others to do what they can to help.
“When we came here in December, there was a little lad here who had a big impact on all of us and he came to a couple of games before he unfortunately passed away and it was something we thought, ‘what can we do? What can we give back?’ And we said to Matt (Parsons, first-team operations managers), let’s think of something, let’s do something for charity,” Manning added.
“So much to (analyst and coach) James Krause’s delight, when he agreed to do something thinking it would be a fun run or a nice bike ride, we’ve signed up to a 24-hour hike up and down Pen y Fan 10 times which I’ve been told is the equivalent of doing Everest so we’ve definitely gone big on the challenge and are hoping to raise as much as we can for such a fantastic place. It’s an unbelievable place and if people can support us, however big or small, it’s hugely appreciated.”
On Tuesday, Tommy Conway joked as Anis Mehmeti couldn’t resist but keep the ball glued to his feet as an assortment of children tried to tackle him, Andy King deputised in goal, while Mark Sykes never stopped smiling as he played with anyone and everyone.
Zak Vyner, Max O’Leary, George Tanner, Harry Cornick and Matty James milled around, taking pictures with family and speaking to staff, while for the younger and newer members of the squad such as Haydon Roberts, Dire Mebude and Taylor Gardner-Hickman, who are also relatively new to the area, along with Ross McCrorie and Jason Knight, it helps show the value of being a footballer, standing at the heart of community, what that represents and the responsibility that comes with it.
“We want to make this more of a thing where it’s not just a one off, we come down and see the kids, playing football and bring them some happiness,” Sykes said. “It’s good to show us a bit of reality because you get so caught up in football sometimes, results and performance, when people have situations like this going on in their lives. It brings us back down to earth a little bit.”
Anyone wanting to support Bristol City on the Pen y Fan challenge can visit www.justgiving.com/page/bcfc-10yfan-challenge
