Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

When a good friend and incredibly talented musician fell through his garage roof and broke his back this summer, the suggestion of a sponsored Grade-One-A-Thon in aid of Spinal Injuries Association seemed like a fantastic idea.  The thought of playing a musical instrument to raise money for charity sounded right up my street, until I realised that it had to be an instrument that you had never played before...and that's where my challenge began.

Obviously a stringed instrument was out of the question, and for the sake of my long-suffering neighbours I felt it only fair to avoid brass or percussion, which left me with the woodwind family.  Over the years I've tinkered on the flute, clarinet, saxophone and oboe, all with varying degrees of success, so that really only left me with one option...the bassoon.  The more I thought about it, the more I became enamoured with the idea.  Being a violinist and a soprano puts me firmly in the realm of "the tune", so the opportunity to play the notes at the bottom is something I have never, so far, been afforded! 

I'm sure many of you will be thinking that learning a new musical instrument can't be that much of a challenge for someone who has pretty much devoted their life to the art.  Well, I'll leave you with the following thought...not only will I be learning my way round a new instrument, I'll also be learning to read music all over again as I've recently reached the horrifying conclusion that I'm not entirely sure I can read the bass clef any more!  And to add insult to injury, all of this has to be achieved in just 8 weeks...from first note to exam!

So, if you like the idea of me re-living all of my childhood nightmares and seeing me sweat my way through yet another Associated Board music exam (I really thought I'd seen the back of those many years ago...) then please dig deep and and donate now.  And if you fancy some first-class entertainment, just after the exam all 145 of us will be giving a concert to showcase our new-found talents...or otherwise.  It will be guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes, although not necessarily for the right reasons!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thanks to the wonderful work of charities like Spinal Injuries Association, my friend is now once again playing the french horn to his usual exceptional standard.  It is success stories like this that make me appreciate how important it is that such charities are kept alive and well.  They rely on donations from people like you and me, so please give whatever you feel you can.

Go on...you know you want to!

Many thanks,

Bryony