MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: completed the run in 47 mins.

On the 20th of May I will be running the BUPA Great Manchester Run. I will be directly competing against a plethora of stars, including Mandy from Hollyoaks, Max from Hollyoaks, and OB from Hollyoaks!

The money raised will help a small charity supporting a fantastic cause, see splurge (left). For the past 15 years, Project Peru has been the sole source of income for a refuge supporting approx 30 disadvantaged children at any given time.

If you do have a spare tenner please help out; look upon it as your charity work for the year, a paltry £1 per km I sweat through Manchester. I'm sure it will improve all of our karma no end.* More importantly, it will help Project Peru to go on helping impoverished children in Zapallal. To find out how, see http://www.projectperu.org.uk/fundraising.htm

I visited the Project Peru refuge in 2000 and - all clichés aside -  it was a real eye opener to find such resilient and joyful people living in very real poverty. Money isn't the be all and end all - but in this case it definitely does help.

Other things that stick in the mind about Peru; the ugliness of the slums/Lima in contrast to the beauty of the country as a whole, receiving several proposals for marriage (most of which I unwittingly accepted due to my limited grasp of Spanish), dead dogs bloating up all over the street, being forced to dance salsa against my will, dancing salsa like a robot, being mocked for my inability to dance salsa; seeing my first live monkey, seeing my first live monkey get shot & eaten, a shoeless Kechua girl emerging from behind a bush at the top of a waterfall in the Amazon rainforest after a days' trekking, political rallies, taking the kids to the beach, the warmth of the people, being frequently reminded about World Cup '78 (Peru 3-1 Scotland), being stared at a lot in the street, drunk drivers, food poisoning; people (ok, men) p*ssing all over the place, toilets that don't flush, bathing with a bucket of cold water, being led up a hill on a donkey by a town mayor, the sweetness of Inca Cola, the fiesta where we ate the pig, the niños waking me up at 0430 to go and milk the cows on my last morning at the refuge following a rum-fuelled leaving party the previous night (no children involved). 

At that time we were working on a sustainable project to help set up a bakery on the site of the orphanage - a truly rewarding and enriching experience which nevertheless couldn't prevent my alarming weight loss (see pictures).

I know that giving a tenner to this cause will ensure Project Peru can continue making a genuine difference to these kids' lives.  If I can get 50 of you to do that I will also reach my fundraising target - happy days!

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Project Peru will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Even better, visit the Project Peru website and set up a direct debit http://www.projectperu.org.uk/

Sponsor me now - you know it makes sense!

Thanks,

Craig

*NB karma improvement not guaranteed.