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Hi and thanks for visiting my fundraising page.
When a friend from work asked if I would be interested in a little 65 mile jaunt for charity I thought he was mad, and then when I agreed I thought I must be mad too! Here's a bit of background:
At 22:56 on night of the 5th June 1944 six Horsa gliders lifted off from Tarrant Rushton airfield in the Dorset countryside and headed out over the English Channel toward occupied . Carried within the gliders were 138 men from the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and 30 Royal Engineers which together comprised the coup-de-main force that had been tasked with capturing and holding two bridges over the Orne River and Caen Canal that were a vital part of the airbourne effort to enable the allied invasion of Normandy to begin.
In the early hours of the 6th June, despite having their force scattered by heavy landings, and later taking casualties and injuries, the men of the coup-de-main force percevered and successfully completed their objective by capturing what are now known as the Horsa and Pegasus bridges.
This year, In honour of the bravery exhibited by these men I will be taking part in the Project65 challenge run.
The Project65 challenge run has two main aims, the first of which is to replicate the remarkable spirit of the originalPegasus Bridge operation “man for man”; this will involve 200 of us, each of whom will represent a member of the coup-de-main force, leaving Tarrant Rushton airfield at 14:00 on Thursday the 4th June 2009, and travelling 65miles on foot through towns and villages, including Ringwood, Lyndhurst, Southampton and Portsmouth; where we will board a ferry to Normandy. After the 6 hour crossing we will assemble into 6 Glider groups and run the final 3 miles along the Caen Canal towpath to arrive to arrive at the Pegasus Bridge in Normandy at precisely 00:16 on the 6th June to mark the time and place where Glider One crashed through the barbed-wire defences exactly 65 years ago.
The second aim of the Project65 chellenge run is to raise £500,000, with the intention that a small portion of this money will be used to erect a simple but lasting memorial to the men of the coup-de-main force in front of the Pegasus Bridge Memorial Museum in Normandy.
The remainder of the money raised will be split between a number of service charities that are critical in providing the necessary help and care to the disabled and wounded men and women of today’s Armed Forces. These charities are:
The Royal British Legion
BLESMA
St Dunstan’s
RAF Benevolent Fund
Army Benevolent Fund
Help for Heroes
Please join me in commemerating the anniversary of this remarkable event and help me in supporting the crucial work of the mentioned charities.
For more information please see http://www.project65.net/
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Project 65 gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
So please sponsor me now!