Hello my lovelies,

Thanks for taking the time to come and check out my page. You are so close now please please read below and dig deep to help these beautiful people.

IS THIS MADNESS?

On 23rd February 2009 I will be doing a 10km run in the Saharan desert. Now in its 9th year the Saharan marathon (and gentler jogs) is taking place to raise funds and awareness for the Saharawi people who live in the camps, in exile from their homeland, Western Sahara.

IT’S ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE:

I am fundraising for Sandblast, the only UK charity involved directly in the camps. See (www.sandblast-arts.org). The Saharawi people have lived as exiles for 33 years, ever since Morocco occupied their country, Western Sahara in 1975. This is a forgotten cause, unlike the Israel/Palestine or Darfur situations. This seems curious, but not when you discover that Morocco has done everything it can to hide the truths of the situation. The Sawaharis are urgently seeking to raise awareness for their situation, so that a referendum (promised by the UN, but never delivered) can become a reality. My running will enable Sandblast to help them find a voice through the arts.

After the run:

Approximately 6 actors (myself included), a director (Giles Foreman) and playwright (Dave Mitchell) from Caravanserai Prodcutions Ltd (www.caravanseraiproductions.com) will be staying on to collaborate with the people who live in the camps to develop a play which will be touring the UK in 2010. The tour will tell the refugees story through the play and there will also be live music performances by the Saharawis themselves along with a photography exhibition all raising awareness of their situation which has been unheard and ignored for too long.

In total Sandblast are hoping to raise £50,000 this year, so I am writing to you to see if you/your company could help me on my way to raising £1000 for this charity. Your sponsorship money will go into Saharawi Artist’s Fund, set up by Sandblast to support artists in the camps.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you feel inspired to help these beautiful people and make a difference.

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