May 31 2010
My 65th birthday, today, seems a good time to decide that fund-raising is now finally closed, though I am still able to accept slow-moving piggy banks or wheelbarrows of fivers.
In the past three months I have very much enjoyed doing talks and interviews about the ride - to King Edward and Queen Mary Juniors, to listeners of the Talking Newspaper, to Radio Lancashire on March 23, members of Oakley Holidays, St. Paul's Church and St. John's Church and, today on my birthday, to the students at the Bozena Nemcove Gymnazium in the Czech Republic
My working total for passing on to my three charitie look like being around £5700 - This includes the gift aid claimed by Just Giving, minus their fees of around £300.
£2000 of this has now been donated to the St. Luke's Leprosy Hospital in southern India via the Neem Tree Trust. Kathy Miller, the secretary of the Trust, who took your donation with her when she visited the hospital in January. £1500 will will be for the Blackpool and Fylde Talking Newspaper - I am presenting this to the Mayor of Blackpool on June 10 - and £2200 to the Trust Fund of Oakley Holidays to help with the costs of training new leaders.
As my initial target was just £3000, you will understand how pleased and grateful I am for everyone's financial support - 210 donations, with over half of these being made on line.
Justgiving have been excellent and I am happy to tell you more about their service if you are considering using them for your own fundraising.
Special thanks are due to Lewis Kent, Treasurer of Oakley Holidays, for the work he has done to pass on the donations to charities and monitoring monies received from with Just Giving.
Further donations can still be made by contacting me personally.
Thanks to everyone for their help, interest and financial support.
What next? How about cycling from the North Cape of New Zealand to Auckland - just an idea at present, but I do like the idea of riding along the level at Ninety mile Beach!
Julian
