Thanks for visiting The Miller Girls' team fundraising page.
This summer marks 10 years since our daddy lost his battle with leukaemia, so we decided to walk the Shine marathon in his honor.
You'll see our team fundraising target on the right; we initially chose £1951 (the year dad was born) but thanks to so many generous donations we smashed this target so have set a new one of £3400. We used to live at number 34 and have many treasured family memories there.
Here's our story from the big night...
The atmosphere on arrival at Battersea Power Station was incredible. Everywhere we looked people were dressed up in neon, glowing and flashing accessories. The buzz of excitement in the air was amazing! After stocking up on anything containing sugar we lined up to begin.
We started in the second group but had no intention of trying to out pace the power walkers, who quickly wiggled past us! We each had different methods for getting through the night; Beth walked to a beat listening to music, Sophie took on a steady stride with determination while Hannah waddled with her bump taking in the scenery.
The volunteers along the route and at the pit stops were brilliant. They were always smiling and encouraging us. The fresh fruit, drinks and chairs to rest were such a welcome sight, as were the toilets- the 'full bladder' miles were definitely the quickest! The volunteers may not have walked but they stood in the cold all night and we are really grateful as we could not have done it without them.
The half way point was a particularly poignant moment for us as it was directly opposite University College Hospital where our wonderful daddy stayed and sadly lost his battle with leukaemia. Very emotional but completely rewarding. A moment none of us will ever forget.
Glow sticks, chocolate and faith kept us going through blisters and rain. We passed amazing sights and experienced London like never before. .. Buildings lit up, markets quiet and serene, the spectacular bridges over the Thames and the beautiful parks. We wished we could have taken photos every five minutes, but then we would still be walking now!
As we recover and hobble about in our daily lives, Shine 2013 seems like a surreal dream. But it is one we are glad to have experienced and are proud of our achievements.
Thank you once again for supporting us and for all your kind donations.
Special thanks must go to:
Charlotte Stark for her surprise company and sweeties
Adam Harris for chasing our tails
The nice lady who let Hannah have a muffin when she was short 50p
Neil Burnham-Miller and Adam Morris for all your encouragement, patience and schlepping
Our mum for being our rock, helping us believe in ourselves and feeding us 24-7
Finally thank you to our daddy for everything you were, everything you taught us to be and everything we know we can become with you watching over us.
We love you and miss you every day.
Please feel free to look at some of the pictures we have put on our individual pages...
