Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
The email, the posters all around the building where I work said "are you up to it?", and I thought 'yeah, sure, I can do that!'...
What I didn't realise at the time was that I was signing up to 27miles (or thereabouts for the pedants) and around 14 hours of exhausting mountain ascent to complete what's known as The 3 Peaks Challenge. So, on the 18th of September, I and a group of my work colleagues will be setting out to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon, all within 24 hours. Thank goodness we have dedicated drivers to do the miles we need to get between the three, so we can focus on our growing blisters, dwindling daylight, flickering head torches and things that go 'bump' in the night! (I do hope we'll only be completing Ben Nevis in the dark, as the drive then to Scafell Pike is some distance, and then on to Snowdon for the Sunday afternoon).
Many of you may know that over the last couple of years I've had several obstacles to overcome regarding my, and Andy's health. Fate, Karma or whatever you want to call it has meant that both Andy and I have had a see-saw time of it, taking turns to be 'appropriately' poorly, what with my Crohn's and his undiagnosed collapsing syndrome - poor man, he even dared to try suffering with 'man flu' when all of a sudden I had to be taken into hospital for a week, so he had to postpone it for a month while I recuperated!! So, what with one thing and another, it's going to be a real personal achievement for me to complete this challenge, and I really hope you feel you can sponsor me, either by the mile - there are 27 in the whole challenge, hour - 24 of those - or just for attempting. Whatever you want to give your money for is fine by me (words of encouragement are just as valuable to me, and very gratefully received).
I'll be updating as much as possible on how the training's going, so keep coming back to see the latest news, and of course, if there's anything you want to know, just ask.
The Really Important Bit - the money I'm raising is going to a most worthy cause - of course it's animals!! The Riverside Animal Centre, part of the London Wildcare Trust deals with sick and injured wildlife, taking in anything and everything, and always trying to do the right thing - even if that's ending the suffering quickly. In addition, they provide care for domestic animals in emergency situations where their owners are unable to look after them for whatever reason. Do check them out at www.londonwildcare.org to find out what they've been up to, and how they make the absolute most of all the donations they receive.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So, please, dig deep and remember to donate right now.
