They think it's all over.....it is now.  Read my write-up about my adventures and success in completing the trek and building the houses!

 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/45547886/Community-Challenge-Cambodia-2010-MAG-International

 

 

 

Well, 9 days to go now and I've had some last minute very generous donations - thank you!

Lizzie, my yoga teacher, gave me a donation last night at my "last class before take off" and Terry Edwards of FEET FIRST in Hemingford Grey, who has looked at my sore foot  and diagnosed sore ligaments and bunions (old age :-( )has donated his fee to my funds too.  HOW KIND IS THAT.  Thank you ! x

I can hardly believe that all these months of fundraising, kindness and generosity are coming to fruition and it'll soon be time for the big event!  What seemed months away, is now only a matter of days away......

  

And now for something completely different:

Saturday's Laughter Yoga Workshop (23rd Oct) was fab! Lots of messing around and playing and of course laughing!  At the end of the 2.5 hour session the words we all used to describe how we felt were "relaxed, content, chilled, happy".  It was a great workout for the lungs and the jaw!  

  

I can't thank Jo Eadie enough (laughter guru extraordinaire) who came over from Milton Keynes to Cambridge especially to run the workshop and donated ALL the fees paid to my fundraising! HOW KIND IS THAT?

  

Har Hari also donated the use of her yoga studio free of charge for the event - so thank you too Har Hari (currently in China studying esoteric mediation)! x

  

So now, it's only 4 weeks until I go, i don't think I'll make it to the £5k but the total so far is SO MUCH HIGHER than I ever though possible when I first decided to tackle this challenge. Thank you thank you! :-)

  

  

Last Thursday I went to London to go to an information session on the event. I met Steve from MAG and Nannette, a fellow participant, and also Tarik from Action Challenge who organise the event.

  

Nannette and I were given a fantastic presentation about the trip and specifically about the village we will be going to (Phum Thlat) and saw some photos of the two families we are going to be building the houses for.  Their existing houses are incredibly basic, and the pictures of the insider of the houses really brought home to me exactly how very little these people have.  In all the pictures of the villagers, they were all smiling however. Amazing.

  

There are going to be 16 of us taking part - 13 women and 3 men with ages ranging from 25-71. We are coming from the UK, Australia, Austria, USA, South Korea, Luxembourg and the Netherlands! Truly international!

  

I am getting pretty excited about the trip, but also wondering what I've got myself into.....but that's all part of the challenge too!  BRING IT ON!

  

  

  

  

Update 21st September: The MBS Fair raised £402 pounds for MAG - fab eh? Much more than I dared to hope for!  Thank you to all my friends, family, mediums, therapists and stall holders and member of the public who supported the fair - and a BIG THANK YOU to Hayley Coulter who helped me manage the fair!  And of course, to all my wonderful helpers on the day - I simply coudln't have done it without you all !!!

  

So.....now it's time to get FIT for the trek and the house building project!  Only 9 weeks to go until I fly off - hope I haven't left the getting fit bit until too late.....I even went for a jog last night - desperate measure indeed !!!

  

 

  

  

  

Update 10th September:  Where has the time gone? It's all ACTION STATIONS now for the Mind, Body & Spirit Fair. If only I could have seen into the future to see how much work is involved....:-)   Do come along and have some "fun at the fair" on Sat 18th in Hemingford Abbots Village Hall 12pm-4pm!

  

And BIG THANK YOU to Hayley Coulter who is co-managing the event with me!  What a star!  And thank you too to all my other good buddies and my sisters who are helping me too!!! xxx

  

Update 24 August:  I presented to the Rotary Club of St Ives tonight, and have asked them for a donation to my fundraising - few technical hitches, and my presentation looked a strange shade of pink, but all seemed to go well. Very grateful for any donations obviously!  THREE MONTHS TODAY and I'll be off on that plane.......not long really....

  

Update 21 August: Well, summer's nearly gone, and the Mind Body and Spirit Fair is coming up pretty soon.

I have 6 Clairvoyants/Medium/Tarot readers, 5 therapists and 16 stall holders lined up for the event on 18th Sept in Hemingford Abbots Village Hall.  Tracy Baker, International Psychic Clairvoyant Medium as seen on TV Psychic & Soul Sky channel 885, is also coming along as my "Headline Act".

  

Now I just need volunteers to help out on the day, taking money, serving teas and coffees, organising the mediums and therapists, helping with the tombola etc etc!  All hands on deck. If anyone fancies baking some cakes or biscuits to sell on the day too - that'd be great!

  

On Tuesday 24th I am also presenting at the St Ives Rotary Club dinner. So i have to sit and eat a nice dinner at Slepe Hall whilst getting increasingly nervous about having to stand up afterwards and present to all of the Rotarians!  Think of the CAUSE Sarah, not your own fear!  :-)

  

In the meantime......I am starting to train for the trek up Kulen Mountain and back (36km total) .....gotta run in those walking boots (so to speak) !

  

A bientot....

  

  

  

- see bottom of page for Raffle Prize details -

Update 22 July:  WELL I DID IT !!!  I made my intial target of £2400 - THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HAS HELPED ME !  

So.........because there is so much time before I go to Cambodia, and so much money slushing around out there....I have decided to raise my target by another £1.6k and see if I can hit £4000 !!! With the Mind Body and Spirit Fair on 18th September and Laughter Yoga session on Oct 23rd plus hopefully Soham Town Rangers U18 team doing a charity Bag Pack at Waitrose in Ely....it should be "easy" to make the extra dosh.......I hope!    Thanks again to everyone for their kindness and generosity!

 

 

Well, after months and months of deliberating, I have decided to bite the bullet and to commit to this Cambodian challenge!

http://www.maginternational.org/MAG/en/supportmag/community-challenge-cambodia-2010/

 

It will be both a personal challenge (and a scary one!) and an opportunity to help those less fortunate than myself by taking part in a trek and a project to build housing for landmine survivors and meet the hereos dedicating their lives to removing landmines.  Cambodia remains severely contaminated by landmines, cluster bombs, air dropped bombs and unexploded artillery projectiles, mortars and grenades. This mainly affects the poorest and most isolated agricultural communities. Families and communities in rural Cambodia remain physically endangered – and socially and economically disadvantaged.

 

So, I have to raise £3000! I am going to pay for the flight myself which is around £600 so I need to find £2400 by fundraising........

 

As of 11th July, my life has become one long fundraising effort!  Thank you so much to everyone for donating and helping - I am getting there much faster than I ever thought!  Preparations now in full swing for the Hoedown on this SATURDAY - I'm looking forward to swinging and doesey doeing but not to making a speech......    I wonder who will win the raffle prizes - i would LURVE that lovely laptop, but I guess it's unethical for me to enter...;-)

The other events in the pipeline past and present are: 

  

1) Book and Cake Stall at Hemingford Primary after school on Thurs 17th June
THIS HAS NOW TAKEN PLACE and the cakes sold like hot cakes, and we sold some books too (!) and raised a fantastic £71.20 !!! THANK YOU EVERYONE for baking, donating books, helping, and purchasing! xxx

  

2) Raffle tickets on sale NOW for the magnificent prizes listed below! 50p each or 5 for £2

  

3) Wine for Mine Winetasting Evening held at my mate Josephine's house on 8th July raised an amazing £130 !!!  Thank you to the Ladies of Hemingford !!!  xxx  Thank you too to Jane Hemingway for donating two luverly dresses to the funds, esp as I bought one myself! x 

  

4) Tickets for the "Hemingford Hoedown"  at The Pavilion in Hem Grey on Sat 17th July are also on sale NOW

WOW WOW WOW - profit from the Hoedown was an amazing £450 !!! Thank you so much - I think a good night was had by all. Some pics will be posted on this page shortly....

  

4) Organisation of my Mind, Body and Spirit Fair at Hemingford Abbots Village Hall on Sat 18th Sept is also well underway

  

5)  LAUGHTER YOGA sessions planned for 23rd October in Cambridge - more details to follow.....

  

6) Soham Town Rangers U18 are planning a sponsored BAG PACK at Waitrose in Ely hopefully !  Thank you in advance to Chris Gibson and his lads!

  

It will be a relief to go to Cambodia and relax!  ;-)

 

Offline donations have also now been received from:

-  Har Hari at the Sukhmani Yoga Centre in Cambridge

-  Fellow yoginis from Cambridge

-  Terry Melia from Melia Publishing Services

-  Sue Jones in Hemingford Grey

-  The Convent of Our Lady in Kettering (my old primary school, now defunked)

-  £64 from Cheques for the Barn Dance and Raffle Tickets (paid in offline)

- £25 from Cinzia Bonada (former ballet dancer and now Royal Academy artist - friend of my Mum's from Bush Davies)

- £20 Jacquie King - my brother-in-law's sister!

- £600 from me for my flight costs !!!

 

 

THANK YOU EVERYBODY!

 

Thanks again to everyone who has donated and offered support !  I really do appreciate it !

 

Sarah xxx

 

 

OK - HERE ARE THE RAFFLE PRIZES :

 

Community Challenge Cambodia 2010:  Raffle Prizes

 

 

 

First Prize: A Brand New Gorgeous BLUE Acer Aspire LAPTOP worth around £500 and loaded with Windows 7 and MS Office Home courtesy of Norman Merry in Hemingford Grey

WINNER:  JOHN FORD of Hemingford Grey

 

Second Prize:  30 min flight in a Motor Glider, courtesy of Clive Mason in Leicestershire

 

WINNER: Brian of Sutton and Brian of Mepal 

 

  

  

Third Prize: Weekend free hire of a 1973 VW Campervan, courtesy of Peter & Sarah Kemp

WINNER:  Kerry of Kettering

 

 

 

Fourth Prize:  Drive a Passenger Hovercraft on land and water, courtesy of Hovercraft For Hire

WINNER: Julie Smith of Kettering 

 

 

 

Plus:

 

 

 

Day trip in a River Boat on the Ouse, courtesy of Derek Laxton, St Ives

 

WINNER: Jo Grimmer of Hemingford Grey

 

 

A days’ Photography Course in Southwold, from Nick Catling Photography (worth £99)

 

WINNER: Mrs D. House of Godmanchester

 

 

Clarice House, Bury St Edmunds Day Spa voucher (worth £30)

 

WINNER: Jo Grimmer of Hemingford Grey

 

 

Free sitting and print from Helen Traherne Photography (worth £50)

 

WINNER: Hayley Coulter of Hemingford Grey

 

 

Voucher for delicious Cup Cakes from The Sweet Kitchen, Hilton (worth £16)

 

WINNER: Wendy Price of Kettering

 

 

 

Voucher for a 20 min Back Massage from Optimum Beauty, St Ives

 

WINNER: M Wheeler of Lutterworth

 

 

Voucher for a booster vaccination for a dog or cat from Cromwell Vets, St Ives (worth £40)

 

WINNER: Robin Rollo of St Ives

 

 

Bag of goodies from PM Embroidery in Huntingdon

 

WINNER: Sylvia of Kettering

 

 

T-Shirt with a colour print on the front from Impressions Print and Label, Somersham

 

WINNER: M Derry of Bingham

 

 

£10 voucher from Hotel Chocolat

WINNER: Pauline King of Kingston Upon Thames

 

 

 

Gemstone necklace and earrings hand-made in Brazil by Sandra Weeks

WINNER: Stuart Eldridge of Cambridge

 

2 tickets for Snow White on Ice at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge

WINNER: Keith French of Cambridge

 

Voucher for delicious 8" Celebration Cake from Simmonds Deli in St Ives

WINNER: D Ford of Kettering

 

Half price voucher for a Bootcamp at Escential Fitness in Swavesey

WINNER: Phyllis of Bingham

 

Hair Salon Voucher for  MAXWELLS in Biggleswade

WINNER: Tony Quinn of Hemingford Grey