Done!!!

Well, that wasn't easy.

I wont write to mucjh here at the moment as i am doing a big long write up on th CRY website.

Just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has sponsored me so far, and there is still time if you haven't.

You can be sure that all the money raised is going towards helping research, training and screening for young athletes in this country. Its all my sponsors which make the big difference in this world so thank you again. Hopefully, with your help, hundreds of lives will be saved.

Pictures can be seen at www.raytang.com

THANKING YOU ALL AGAIN

THANK YOU

Sahara Trek

Reading about the Sahara trek on the CRY website started out to be just some casual surfing on the Internet. But when I actually thought about the prospect of it being me who would be walking across the boiling desert for nine days, I thought, why not?

CRY has been a charity close to the hearts of many people in Woodbridge for the past seven years. In 1998, I found my twin sister Laura lying on her bed. After weeks of testing we finally came to believe that she died of a Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), which affects the hearts of otherwise healthy young people. Only a couple of weeks before this tragic incident, Laura had won most of her events at the school sports day! None of us had any idea there was a problem was Laura's heart and to this day it's still hard to believe it has happened. The pain we have felt since is something no one should ever have go through and the more money and awareness we can raise all goes towards research and testing to stop this happening.

I will be trekking across the Sahara in March 2006(see the fundraising section for details). Am I going to enjoy it?........who knows, but I am certainly going to give it my best shot.

In the early stages of sorting out my sponsorship; I have been amazed by the generosity of people. A number of Local businesses have pledged sponsorship and during the trip I shall be taking photos of me wearing their company t-shirts with the sand dunes as the backdrop. The way my friends and family have supported me has been incredible, pestering everyone they know to help me raise the £2000 I need for the trip.

We arranged for a band to play at our local football club, and even though they hadn't played together for over 5 years, still sounded incredible. We held a raffle on the night with the prizes being donated by local companies,this made over £400 alone. The family who let us use the hall at no charge also made hundreds of rolls and sold every one making a further £80. Sending out leaflets on my local estate seemed such a good idea when I thought about having a charity car boot sale. Little did I know that people were very keen to get rid of things when they found out it was for charity. I done two car boots and raised around £150.

The other aspect of the trip is to sort out my training. I plan to do a bit of aerobic training (I play for a local football team, so this is mostly covered) and loads and loads of walking. The shingle beaches along the Suffolk coastline will also be taking a pounding. The trek is just over 2 months away and I have already raised nearly twice as much as my target. Luckily there is no limit to the amount I can raise so I would like to thank everyone who has sponsored me so far and a thank you to everyone who will sponsor me in the future. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Cardiac Risk in the Young 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. So please sponsor me now! Many thanks for your support.

London Marathon

Well, the plan was to run the London Marathon this year. Although things have changed. There are a few concerns about me runing the marathon. Over the past few years i have had screening on my heart (ECG's and Echo's)and have never been actually given the all clear. So they have told me to train over the next 12 months so they can keep on eye on my progress and monitor me more accuratley. So the London maraton will have to wait until 2007, when i will be healthier, fitter and generally better!!

Sorry to keep changing things like this but its better to be safe than sorry.