Welcome to my site and thanks for taking the time to even get here!

Update as at Sept 22^nd 2008:

So training not going as well as expected! A new role brings new challenges and training has taken 2nd place for now.

I continue to be very confident that I am going to make it. Mind is willing and body will follow I hope!

Have raised several thousand pounds offline via family fun day (I spent several hours in the stocks being bombarded with wet sponges), and various other fund raising events. I am sure some of my business colleagues would have loved to have been the ‘sponge throwers’!

Corporate sponsorship challenge to address next, so watch this space.

Thank you to all who have sponsored me to date. I genuinely appreciate it. 

Who am I?

I am Andrew Powell. A reasonably healthy and very lucky 38 year old who wants to give something back to say ‘thank you’ for how fortunate I have been in life.

12 years serving my country all over the globe, straight out of school, to include serving in conflict zones such as the Gulf war, Bosnia and Northern Ireland, culminating in a fantastic five years serving with the British Special Forces, based in Hereford.

Now working at City of London Telecom (COLT), I am privileged enough to have an employer who encourages and supports fully my work with charities.

Context:

15th April 1994. I will never forget the moment my daughter Brogan (pictured with me and now 14!) was born. She was absolutely beautiful. She was also in a very distressed state.

The first six weeks of her life was spent in a life support capsule at Hereford general hospital. The first two years of her life she spent on an apnoea alarm. Every night we would strap the alarm to her body and every night the alarm would sound as she stopped breathing.

Brogan we found later was born with a hole in her heart. The heart being a muscle, we were told that there was every chance as the muscle grew that the hole would heal up. If it did not, Brogan would probably never lead a healthy life like other children.

Fourteen years later she is a healthy beautiful teenager, with attitude!

I am very lucky. I now have four very healthy beautiful children. Brogan who you have met, Morgan who is 11, Dylan who is 3 and newly arrived Erin who is just 5 months.

Why ‘Over The Wall’?

The primary reason I have chosen the ‘Over The Wall’ charity to support is that there are hundreds and thousands of parents and children who will never be as lucky as I was, who will have experienced all of the emotions I did but who now still live with the daily challenges I no longer have to personally concern myself with.

Over The Wall:

Over The Wall provides residential activity camps for children affected by serious illnesses. These children frequently lack confidence as a result of prolonged, painful and isolating treatment in hospitals. At camp they create a friendly and positive environment where the children can behave like just children and not ill children. Their campers take part in countless activities ranging from archery and rock-climbing to fancy-dress parties and craft lessons. In the presence of others facing similar challenges, feelings of isolation are overcome, self-esteem grows and lasting friendships are made.

More importantly this gives the children something they may have never experienced in their young lives before; to have fun and be carefree for just a short time and to forget they are ill.

My vision:

Sending one of these amazing children affected by serious illness, to a week long ‘Over The Wall’ camp, costs around £1000.

I aim to raise enough money between now and Nov 2008 to hopefully send eighteen (18) of these children to a one week camp.

How will I do this?

I will be undertaking a series of fund raising events throughout 2008 culminating in running the New York Marathon but with a difference.

This is where those of you out there who know me and would like to see me suffer will start to smile;

My intention is to run the New York Marathon in November 2008 but with around 90lbs on my back.
For every £2000 that you help me raise throughout next year I will add 10lbs of weight onto my back upto a maximum of 90lbs and thus achieving my £18,000 target.

What’s in it for you?

Firstly the knowledge that you are helping these wonderful children experience something in their lives for the very first time or to be frank something they may never experience again, due to their individual situations.

For some of them this will be the very first time they have ever had a holiday. For some of them it will be the very first time they have left a hospital ward.

Secondly you get to see me suffer! The more you give the more pain I endure next year.

So come on, dig deep, help me on my journey and know that together we can really make a difference for these wonderful, amazing resilient human beings.

Thank you.

Corporate Sponsors;

Berghaus

Early thanks, at a corporate level goes to Berghaus. Berghaus have sponsored my challenge with the necessary equipment required for my training and to complete my task.

City of London Telecom (COLT)

My employer has already agreed to support me throughout 2008 in getting toward the target of £18,000.00

This support will be provided across numerous events, so watch updates for further detail.

If you are a business who would like to also join in and sponsor this challenge please do not hesitate to contact me at the following email address:

andrew.powell@colt.net