Over the summer I enjoyed writing up the story and publicising it widely on Facebook. It was important to say a big thanks to all the people who had supported my trip this year. I managed to stay in regular contact with Rowland and received news. I still offered my advice on what the Chitipa Cricket Union needed to do to satisfy the Malawi Cricket Union requirements for continued funding. Based on my advice the committee wrote a ‘work plan’ for the rest of 2018 which I thought was achievable. All I could really do was to wish them all the best in their efforts and hoped they would be proactive. Eric the committee chairperson true to his word set up a Facebook group page that I enjoyed contributing to. It would be a great way to stay in touch and see how cricket was developing in Chitipa. The fact that I had managed to get the Malawi Cricket Union involved in funding the Chitipa Cricket Union would be the lasting legacy and I was proud of that. The Friends of Malawi Association (FOMA) were very pleased that their grant had been spent well. The Alnwick Lions were also happy and wished me future success. I would try and further develop these links as part of my cricket plans for 2019. Edinburgh South Community FC was very pleased with its decision to use Chitipa as the main recipients of their kit re-cycling initiative. I was confident that this would be continued and a link with Chitipa Utd would develop. Meeting John Kayange had been a real pleasure and listening to his plans to develop an athletics centre in Chitipa interested me. The summer holidays were almost over and my thoughts had to turn to getting regular supply work. I really hoped to visit again in 2019 but all I could do for now would be to reflect on 2018, create a project outline and budget for 2019, start fundraising and look for more potential sponsors. The details of any future visit would emerge nearer the time.

One thing did inspire me to think about my future involvement in Chitipa and that was a man called Brendan Rendell. He had visited Malawi in 2009 and ‘fell in love’. Subsequently he ran the length of the country and raised funds to support the building of classrooms at the Friends of Mulange Orphange in southern Malawi. At the time of writing this he was running 4000 miles across Africa from Namibia to Mozambique via Malawi raising money to build boy’s hostels at the school. I was impressed and supported him.

I thought the time was right to put into print the first volume of my Malawi ramblings. ‘Diaries of a sports development officer in Northern Malawi’ would soon be sitting proudly on my bookshelf.

Over the rest of the summer of 2018 I enjoyed my cricket and wrote up my stories but by September and the return to school I was struggling. The depression hit me hard this time and it was not until after Christmas that I started feeling better. I hadn't collected any kit this year bt had a few things to take. By April I had decided that I would visit Chitipa again in September this time.