Thanks for taking the time to visit Paul's JustGiving page.
Supported By: Comedian Dara O’Briain, Singer Eliza Doolittle also Linvoy Primus and Oliver and James Phelps AKA The Weasley Twins of Harry Potter Fame.
I appreciate that you will receive many requestis for help for various charitable causes and that it is difficult to decide which to support. I would like to thank you in advance for taking the time to read my appeal and hope that you will consider my efforts, on behalf of others less fortunate than you and I, to be worthy of your support.
Since becoming severely disabled in 1991 as the result of a motor vehicle accident, I have had to re-evaluate my life. At that time, as a Leading Seaman Specialist in the Royal Navy, I was incredibly fit and led an active, full and privileged life, serving in both the Falklands and the first Gulf campaign, as well as competing in the Royal Naval Field Gun Crew.
The road to recovery remains long and difficult. Whilst I am mainly confined to a wheelchair and still suffer significant pain as a result of permanent brain damage and numerous physical disabilities, I find it helps greatly to concentrate a large proportion of my time in helping others, who I feel are less fortunate than myself. As such, over the past 4 years, I have helped raise in excess of £1,500,000 for local disabled children, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Kiya survivors in Peru, Great Ormond Street Children’s Charity, and most recently when I raised £25,000 for Centrepoint for Youth Homelessness.
Despite my own difficulties, I have always had the love and support of family and friends. I have always had a roof over my head and food to eat and water to drink, famine is something I have never had to consider. As such, my next challenge will benefit Save the Children, the UK charity with a mission to end child deaths here in the UK and around the world.
In April 2012, with your help, I will commence my biggest challenge yet when I will self-propel my wheelchair, approximately 200 miles from Portland in Dorset, to the Emirates Stadium, London. The challenge will take 5 days and see me complete the equivalent of almost 8 marathons, 50 miles a day for the first 2 days and 30 miles a day for the last 3 days.
The money raised through my challenge will be used to help Save the Children with their fantastic work in over 120 countries worldwide including the UK. We will also be supporting 2 new projects ‘Families and Schools Together’ (FAST) programme, a range of education programmes in the UK and overseas to help the poorest children get a better start in life and give them the chance to grow and fulfil their potential. The FAST programme is an award winning, U.N endorsed programme.
The second project is ‘Eat, Sleep, Learn, Play (ESLP). The ESLP initiative, is a programme that assists children living in the most desperate need by providing household essentials like a child’s bed, a family cooker or educational books and toys.
RGK Wheelchairs are providing the lightweight wheelchair, Ridgeway Mercedes are supplying the support vehicle(s), with various companies and individuals sponsoring other equipment.
Whilst this challenge will leave me in significant pain and physical exhaustion for weeks, the difference I will be able to make in the life of others will more than compensate. I truly hope that you feel this is a worthy cause for your support. By supporting me, you will be supporting Save the Children and giving a young person in the UK and around the world a better chance in the future, which they may not otherwise get.
Thank you for your time in reading my appeal. Please help in whatever way you can. Thank you.
Paul Smith
