My story

About this time last year I took part in an ironman distance triathlon in Henley on Thames in the UK.  This was a long and hard event which took me the best part of the year to prepare for, and even with all that effort it still took me nearly 14 hours to finish on race day.  Well, in what must have been a momentary lapse in concentration or a sudden rush of blood to the head, I'm not sure which, I accidentally signed up to do the same event again this year!  However, it seems that subconsciously I wasn't content with simply swimming 3.9 km (2.4 miles), cycling 180 km (112 miles) and running 42.2 km (26.2 miles) in one day, I wanted to make it extra difficult for myself.  So, despite giving myself plenty of time by signing up back in March, something deep inside must have told me that I didn't need to do anywhere near as much training this year.  Now, with just 44 days to go until race day, I fully understand the error of my ways and I'm getting quite worried about how much this year's event is going to hurt! 

Anyway, enough about my pending doom... Earlier this year a good friend convinced me that if I was going to be stupid enough to have another go at a long-distance triathlon then I should really raise some money for charity again (apparently, sponsoring people makes him feel good about himself!)  So, assuming that at least some of you might have similar feelings about sponsorship, I started investigating various charitable organisations and worthwhile causes (of which there are many!) and what I have come up with is the Thai Children's Trust.  This is a UK-based charity that provides funding to support over 4,000 children in Thailand who basically have not had a good start to life.  I don't want to spend a lot of time giving you all of the heart-wrenching details of what these children have been through etc. as I don't think that is really fair but if you want to find out more about the organisation and the children that they help you can visit their website by following the link below.  
http://www.thaichildrenstrust.org.uk/
Last weekend, I went to Pattaya to see for myself how the funds provided by this charity are being spent in some of the projects there and I was shown around the Children's Home on the outskirts of the town.  This is a home for 86 children ranging in age from 6 to 17 who have nowhere else to go.  The grounds of this home are great and the kids have lots of opportunities to play and grow in a safe environment.  The children at the home are also taken to school every day and for a country where a very large percentage of the population don't have any secondary school education, it is a credit to this establishment that 9 children who grew up here are now studying at university and are being sponsored by the Home.  However, during the tour of the facilities it was clear that the boys' housing block was in desperate need of renovation.  The showers and toilet facilities were in a dreadful state and the bedrooms were stark  places with no opportunity for the boys to personalise their own space or have any privacy.  Also, the building itself could easily accommodate more than double the amount of children but unfortunately the numbers are limited because of the condition of the facilities and funding.  The Thai Children's Trust has committed to help raise funds for the renovation of this building which will make a significant difference to the lives of the boys living there.  The renovations are estimated to cost somewhere in the region of THB 1,300,000 (approximately GBP 26,000 or USD 40,000).  Whilst I don't imagine that we can raise that sort of money on this page alone, it would be really nice to be able to raise some money to help this organisation help the children.

My gallery 2

My Teams

My company

My charity

Thai Children's Trust

Thai Children's Trust

Charity Registration No. 1085407

The Thai Children's Trust helps vulnerable and disadvantaged children in Thailand - abandoned, disabled, HIV+, tsunami survivors, refugee and street children. We provide a home, education and future for nearly 4,000 children, and reach out to thousands more through health and nutrition projects.

Donations 29

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I know I am tardy, but this is a good cause and Matthew is a good dude. Happy to contribute.

Donation by James Carberry on 05/11/12

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Nice one Matt!

Donation by Justin Gosling on 20/10/12

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

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Better late than never :) congrats again Matt

Donation by David Francis on 20/10/12

£30.00

+ £7.50 Gift Aid

Donation by Elaine Miller on 08/10/12

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

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Well done Brov. I'm glad this was your last one, getting up that early is just too much for me.

Donation by Paul Springall on 03/10/12

£25.00

+ £6.25 Gift Aid

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Well done mate... Inspirational yet again!!

Donation by Pete & Claire T on 01/10/12

£50.00

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Well Done Matt! See you early 2013!

Donation by Kate Dixon on 30/09/12

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

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Once again an awesome result mate,well done!

Donation by Trevor Bayliss on 30/09/12

£50.00

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Well done Matty.

Donation by Bob & Barbara Ayres on 30/09/12

£25.00

+ £6.25 Gift Aid

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Better late than never, bet you were quicker on the day. Love Uncle Don & Auntie Chris

Donation by Christine Springall on 20/09/12

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

Donation by vince evans on 19/09/12

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

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Best of luck MJ. We're so proud of you. Are you sure we are related? :)

Donation by Christine and Simon on 15/09/12

£75.00

+ £18.75 Gift Aid

Donation by George Petino on 10/09/12

£62.00

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Matt, you must be completely nuts, but deserve every penny you can make. Good luck! From all the Fitz's x

Donation by Helen Fitzgerald on 10/09/12

£10.00

+ £2.50 Gift Aid

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Good Luck Matthew!

Donation by Anonymous on 07/09/12

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

Very best of luck Matthew - we still think you are bonkers! Best wishes Chris and Rod

Donation by Anonymous on 03/09/12

£40.00

+ £10.00 Gift Aid

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Good luck Matthew! Knowing where this all started makes your hard efforts even more special! Love Rachael and Gabriel x

Donation by Rachael Garrick on 14/08/12

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

Dear Matthew, You're a hero! Well done and good luck. Keep up the good work. Love, Bill and Shirley x x x x

Donation by William LUCKETT on 12/08/12

£25.00

+ £6.25 Gift Aid

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Lots of luck Matty! Who needs training anyway? You'll be wicked!!! Lots of love, Sonia, James, Hannah, Josh & Harry xxx

Donation by sonia whittaker on 07/08/12

£20.00

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Good Luck Matthew, you nutter, best wishes Martin & Nicky

Donation by Martin Sanders on 07/08/12

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

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Good Luck Matty! Go for Gold!

Donation by Tim & Jane Dixon on 06/08/12

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

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Hi Matt...may the Force be with you! Be strong, be proud. Cheers, Maik.

Donation by Maik Kukulies on 06/08/12

£10.00

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Matt, thanks for your generosity and commitment to this very worthy cause, and bringing it to my attention. All the best!

Donation by Jeff Harrington on 05/08/12

£100.00

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Good luck Matty, sorry we won't be able to be there to cheer you on this year :-(

Donation by Toni Irving on 05/08/12

£50.00

Good luck!! :)

Donation by Carole Carter on 03/08/12

£5.00

Donation summary

  • * Online donations£1,107.00
  • Offline donations£0.00
  • Text donations£0.00
  • Total raised£1,107.00
  • Gift Aid£160.00

* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.