Hello there! I'm EJ from The Evening Show on 107 The Bee, and at approximately 2.30pm on Sunday the 18th May 2008, myself and my little sister Peta (actually she's not that little- she's 25!) will be abseiling down the side of Peel Tower in Ramsbottom to raise money for The Anthony Nolan Trust, with one of my favourite listeners, Ian Preston, AKA Ian The Beancounter.

The Anthony Nolan Trust takes back lives from leukaemia by providing lifesaving donors for patients in need of a bone marrow transplant, giving 5,800 children and adults a new lease of life since 1974.The story of the chairty itself is a touching one- owing it's existence to Shirley Nolan, the mother of a boy called Anthony who was born in 1971 with the rare Wiscott Aldrich Syndrome, the only known cure being a bone marrow transplant from a compatible donor. Back in 1971, there was obviously no internet, and believe it or not, no bone marrow register, something that we take for granted in 2008.

Shirley was frustrated to discover that although the cure for Anthony was something achievable, there was no way of finding a bone marrow match- so she set about establishing a system to record not only willing donors, but their tissue types too. Anthony sadly died in 1979- the year I was born. He was just eight years old and no match was ever found for him. After creating the world's first register of bone marrow donors, which then became one of the largest donor registers boasting 11 million donors worldwide, Shirley passed away in 2002.

With that in mind, myself and Peta have a nephew who is nine years old, who was lucky enough to be born without any rare syndromes or conditions. Leo likes doing stunts on his bike, watching wrestling and listening to Queen (bless him! he's learnt well, the young Jedi!). He's a grand kid who loves looking after his little brothers and being cheeky. When he gets older he'll be a good looking lad with the world at his feet. This is the same opportunity that Anthony Nolan had, but because the medical world was not as advanced as it was now, with registers for not only bone marrow donors, but blood and organ donors too, he sadly passed away.

So Peta and myself will be joining Ian The Beancounter and raising money for a fantastic cause, and because Leo will laugh at us and call his aunties Big Jessies if we don't! Ian is an accomplished abseiler (is that the right word?), and unlike Peta and myself is not afraid of heights. We did head up there for a reccy but as the Tower's locked up, didn't get to check out the full height. Just in case you didn't know, Peel Tower itself stands on Holcombe Hill, clocking in at 128 feet (39 metres), which is 43 feet bigger than Darwen's Jubilee Tower. Peel Tower, or as it's sometimes known, Peel Monument was built as a memorial to Sir Robert Peel, a 19th century Prime Minister and creator of the modern police force. I'm told that on clear, sunny days, you can see West Yorkshire, North Wales and Blackpool Tower on a good day, but believe me, we won't be taking in the view on the way down!

Simon Brierley has decided it would be funny for me to wear a headset on the way down, so I can in some way provide a narration of the experience. I did originally plan to memorise a list of sponsors to say thanks on the way down, but don't bank on it. Chances are, poor Simon will be left with a tape of inaudible swearing and screaming. However, don't let that put you off!

If you could donate just a few quid not only are you helping a fantastic charity but you're also paying to hear me being utterly terrifed. There is no escape for me and Peta, yet for Ian this is a walk in the park. Take pity on us- please! The Anthony Nolan Trust exists solely on money raised by fools/nutters/kind souls like us doing abseiling, parachute jumps and treks abroad, and every pound they recieve from us counts and could help to save someone's life.

You can sponsor Peta and myself via this page, or Ian on his page ( http://www.justgiving.com/ianpreston1 ). The Anthony Nolan Trust recieves payments quicker online and if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your donation at no extra cost to you.

You can check out our progress whilst we prepare for the abseil on my presenters' blog at http://www.thebee.co.uk and on The Evening Show on from Monday to Thursday, from 6-10pm. Ian The Beancounter and me will be on the Mid-Morning Show after 1pm on Friday the 2nd May where we'll be talking about the abseil and how my big-fool-mouth gets me into trouble.

Thanks for reading this far, and please sponsor us and donate to the Anthony Nolan Trust.

Cheers M'dears, luv EJ & Peta :)

Update!

For some unknown reason some of you have been struggling making online donations as seemingly this website only acepts donations from certain bankcards. Which ones, I'm not sure, but if you're struggling give EJ a call in the studio, she'll talk you through it.

The plan for the descent itself has now changed slightly- of course Ian, Peta and myself are still taking part, and I'm still wearing a headset so I can give a running commentary of my fear on the way down- but now Martin Cooper from The Sunday Sermon Show will be abseiling down alongside me to film every moment of my vertigo induced terror. We'll also be linking up regularly with Paul on The Sunday Afternoon Show to give updates of our progress- both before the descent, during and afterwards (when I'll probably be kissing the grass and thanking the Heavens that I'm still alive!).

However, money raised off line has been great- special thanks to all the listeners who dropped their donations off personally at 107 The Bee Towers or who have hunted me out in Darwen and handed me their hard-earned. A Big thanks to Andy Collier & Matt Smith from Parkies, Thelma & Mike Worden, our very own J9 Bolton, Simon 'Daddy' Brierley, Mallo, Kellie, Tania, Sharon, Longshanks, MonKa, Aide, Blake & Amber and Zed from Goldenline Taxis in Blackburn! I have a money jar in the office which is now £80-odd quid heavier. I've had plenty of promises from people who will only pay once I've done the abseil- as if I have the chance to back out now! Come on people, hands in pockets and all that! :)

Update!! 30th May 2008

Money is still coming in for the abseil, even though I actually did it over a week ago! Since it was broadcast on 107 The Bee, I've raised a further £150 from various listeners in the form of cheques and cash dropped off at the station. I'm keeping this page open mainly because due to the sucess of the abseil fundraising (in total we raised around £800 offline), we were going to do something more for The Antony Nolan Trust in the next month- there's several ideas in the pipeline, but we'll let you know exactly what's going to happen nearer the time.

Thanks so much to everyone who took the time out of their daily routine to come down to the station and drop money off, or to sponsor us online. We truly had a fantastic day and it was a brilliant experience. The video of the abseil is currently being edited and will be online on the Bee website soon. :)