Thanks for agreeing to sponsor me and for getting this far.
As I mentioned in my email, I'm doing the Phuket triathlon on Sunday 6th December to raise money for Mary's Meals (www.marysmeals.org), a charity which runs feeding programmes in communities where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education. I only recently became aware of their activities but I think they're amazing. The concept is that they provide a free daily meal at school for kids who may otherwise not be sent to school. As well as being fed when they're hungry, the hope is that these kids will get an education and maybe break the cycle of poverty.
It blew me away to learn that it only costs about six pounds, or less than HK$100, to provide a child with a hot meal in school for a year.
I'm told that:
"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."
I'm still trying to figure out if those of us who are resident in Hong Kong will get Hong Kong tax relief on donations. It's possible that you won't, so please factor this in when deciding how much to give.
I'll let you know how I get on in the race. I'm making no promises about how long it will take me, but I'll do my very best to get round the course.
Thanks again, Alan
