Hello and thank you for visiting my JustGiving page. I have set this up to help me raise as much money as possible in support of the Families First Charity with North Norfolk Radio.
My name is Jamie Payne, I am 21 years old and live in Cromer, Norfolk. I work at the Virginia Court Hotel in Cromer as the second Chef, qualified with a level 2 and 3 NVQ in 'Professional Food Preparation and Cookery'. I was born and raised in North Norfolk and hold it very close to my heart; I have no intentions of ever moving away because I love the area so much.
I was educated at Cromer Infants and Junior School before moving up to the High School. In the final year of my education there, I was elected as Head Boy by the teaching staff and became the Student Council President. During my time in these positions, I was responsible for organising several fundraising days and events for various charities - the most memorable of these was being filmed by ITV News in 2005 when I had my legs waxed to help raise money for the 'Jeans for Genes' charity! I have always been interested in charity work and enjoy it greatly.
The Families First Charity was launched in September 2007 and aims to "improve the lives of individuals and groups living in North Norfolk by providing donations to drive education, health, welfare, ability and opportunity." Every single penny raised is spent in North Norfolk for various good causes, meaning that by donating, you can rest assured that you are helping people in your local area - it could be a person or family on your own town, or even your neighbour!
The trek has been organised to take place from October 16th to October 26th 2010, when myself and the rest of the volunteers from all over North Norfolk will travel to the North East of Tanzania, which is near the border with Kenya. For the first two days of our trip, we will be working in the local community there to help in various projects, which could include: helping to build or renovate a school, building chairs and desks for classrooms, working in a centre for children who suffer from HIV and AIDs or helping out at an orphanage. I am really looking forward to being able to help all of the children there. Also, I am hoping to be able to use my cooking skills during the visit and cook some meals for the local children; at the same time, I would like to bring home some Tanzanian recipes.
After these two days we will begin our ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is the world's largest free-standing mountain; it is also the world's largest mountain which can be climbed without climbing equipment. The summit is 19,340 ft above sea level, which is 5,895m. The climb itself takes 5 days which includes leaving the last camp at midnight in the final push to reach the summit.
As well as helping children in Tanzania and raising money for a local charity, I have also set myself a personal goal for the trip. Many people who knew me at school and college will remember me for being very overweight when I was younger. In order for me to become fit enough to take part on the Kilimanjaro Climb, I have been on a strict fitness program to finally lose weight and get fit. I have already lost a significant amount of excess weight, but I still have a lot to do.
Lastly, we are all aware of the current economic problems and the 'Credit Crunch', which means that everyone has had to "tighten their belts", but any money that you could spare would be an amazing gift. The money you donate really does help towards creating a better life for so many people in North Norfolk.
There will be several fundraising events between now and October, and I will keep you constantly updated with news regarding these.
Thank you very much, Jamie Payne. Cromer, Norfolk.
