Well, we did it. Despite the gloom, the rain and the lack of any kind of safety harness, we were kings of the world…wellBarnsleyanyway.

Thank you to all that have donated. For those that have not had chance yet, I now include a very hastily put together video montage of our challenge, which can be viewed on Youtube at the following link;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOcYG6BaumI (if this doesn’t link directly, please cut and paste it into your web browser)

If you haven’t donated yet, the web links at justgiving are open until July. I know some of you wanted proof that we did it before making your pledge. The video has now taken away that excuse!

Gateway Plaza is the largest private sector development in the town of Barnsley.  It comprises of Office, Residential Apartments, a Hotel, Restaurants and Retail shops all above a 540 space multi-storey car park.  It is being developed by local based developers Quest Property, partnered by Leeds based developers Landmark Developments Ltd.  It will have been a 7 year project by the time it is complete in Summer 2010.

The biggest development in Barnsley has required the use of the biggest crane.  Certainly, it is the biggest one over to grace our towns' skies.  It can be seen from miles away, as it is only slightly smaller than Big Ben.  Unlike Big Ben however, it sways in the wind!  There are four cranes on site, but the largest comes down shortly after Easter.

We have decided, with the support of our main contractor Browns Construction, to do a sponsored crane climb.  It is a little out of the ordinary and that is what makes it appealing.  The reality is that Jason Brook had a few drinks with Bill Murphy, MD of Browns Construction, and it seemed like a novel idea at the time!  We have had to put this together very quickly and in this day and age, Health & Safety, Risk Assessments and Inductions have all had to be taken into account. 

The crane climbers will be Jason Brook (CEO, Quest), Matthew Stephens (Sales & Development Manager, Quest), Nick Elliott (Director, Landmark), Nigel Jepson (Financial Director, Browns Construction) and Simon Hirst (Galaxy Radio) hopefully!  Last minute changes to those climbing is a possibility, but there will be a serious fine to be paid if that is the case, but we are confident that won't be necessary.

Regarding our fundraising, we want to support two charities; A local charity Barnsley Hospice and The Cystic Fibrosis Trust.  This means that we have to have two Justgiving Pages.  One for each charity.  This means you can chose to support either one or the other, but I would respectfully ask you to consider splitting your intended donation between these two very worthy causes.

Barnsley Hospice - We wanted to support a local charity in Barnsley and we feel that Barnsley Hospice is a very worthy cause.  The Barnsley Hospice provide Specialist Palliative Care to the local community.  This is special care and support given to patients with a diagnosis of cancer or other life threatening illnesses.  Their aim is to provide the highest standard of care in a pleasant environment, with attention to the individual needs of our patients, their families and carers.  They also offer physical, social, psychological and spiritual support.  Although they receive a significant amount of funding from NHS Barnsley, they still rely heavily on the people of Barnsley to help us raise vital funds.

The Cystic Fibrosis Trust - We have supported this charity for several years now.  The CF Trust is committed to finding a cure to this awful disease and substantial progress is being made.  Unfortunately, the average life expectancy of those with CF is still only 31, but we are confident that through committed fundraising, the CF Trust can play a massive part in that statistic becoming a footnote in history.  From a personal perspective, Jason Brook's niece Molly, has Cystic Fibrosis.  She is 4 years old.  We are determined to do what we can to support this charity so Molly and thousands of others like her can benefit from advancements in medical treatment.

This page is for the Barnsley Hospice Donation;

This link www.justgiving.com/gatewayplazacraneclimb-cysticfibrosistrust will take you to our other charity donation page.

Thank you for your support.