Story
<p>Dear all</p>
<p>Firstly, thank you for taking the time to visit our page.</p>
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<p>James, Dan and I are hoping to raise as much money as possible for the charity <strong>Grief Encounter </strong>by making 3 ascents by the 3 different routes in 24 hours of Mont Ventoux (alt 1904m) - arguably <em>the </em>most celebrated climb in the cycling world.</p>
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<p>All three of us are involved with pastoral care at Highgate School and unfortunately over the years have been involved with pupils who have suffered the loss of a parent or sibling. Grief Encounter is a charity that looks to help youngsters and their families deal with the consequences of such a tragedy (more details below).</p>
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<p>We will be attempting this challenge in the heat of August and the following quotes attest to the ferocity of Mont Ventoux</p>
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<p><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>"The Ventoux is a god of Evil, to which sacrifices must be made. It never forgives weakness and extracts an unfair tribute of suffering."</em></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em><br /></em></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Roland Barthes. French philosopher</strong></span></span></p>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>"Nineteen hundred meters up there is completely different from nineteen hundred meters anyplace else. There's no air, there's no oxygen. There's no vegetation, there's no life. There's no life. Rocks. Any other climb there's vegetation, grass and trees. </em></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>Not there on the Ventoux. It's more like the moon than a</em></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em> mountain."</em></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em><br /></em></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Lance Armstrong. 7 times Tour de France winner</strong></span></span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><em>"The hardest climb in the Tour, bar none"</em></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Lance Armstrong</strong></span></span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Anything that you give would be greatly appreciated: we would love to start the new term with some great news about the amount raised.</span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Best wishes</span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Simon Brunskill (Head of Sixth Form)</span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Dan Brandt (Housemaster of The Lodge)</span></div>
<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">James Barr (Housemaster of Kingsgate)</span></div>
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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">More about the charity</span></div>
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<p><em>Grief Encounter is a charity that aims to provide the best possible support to bereaved children, young people and their families follwowing the death of a parent or a sibling. Nobody wants to think about ever having to use the services of Grief Encounter; the loss of a loved one has profound and potentially devastating effects. The facts are that one day someone you know will need help.</em></p>
<p><em>- 1 in 29 children in the UK under 16 will experience the death of a parent</em></p>
<p><em>- Every half an hour a child loses a parent somewhere in the UK.</em></p>
<p><em>It costs in excess £3000 to support a family throughout the year, with many families needing additional help and counselling. Demand still outweighs supply and issues have become increasingly complex.</em></p>
<p><em>By sponsoring us will enable Grief Encounter to continue their work and NOT have to turn families away. Grief Encounter's vision is that every bereaved child and their family in the UK get the best possible help, support, recognition and understanding, following their loss. </em></p>
<p><em>The money we raise will help support families and children through one to one counselling, workshops, residential camps, fun days, bespoke school programmes and their informative website.</em></p>
<p><em>Please help us to raise money for Grief Encounter, so they can continue to help support bereaved children and their families.</em></p>
<p><em>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.</em></p>
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