I've recently been working offshore Gabon on the Borr Norve jack up for BW. A couple of months back we started raising money for a local orphanage in Port Gentil where we crew change out of. We collected entry fees from Expat workers for the weekly pool tournaments and also donated a high proportion of the world cup sweepstakes etc. We have also had some novelty events like an auction where the winner got to soak the OIM and myself with a large buckets of water :-) So far we have raised in excess of £1000 and we will be buying some toys and treats etc for the kids at the local orphanage as we come close to the end of the contract in September.

I'm really looking forward to visiting the kids and watching their little faces as they get a new football or doll etc, things that we all too often take for granted in our so called "developed" country. These kids literally have nothing, including most importantly, their parents. Many were born with severe disabilities and even HIV from birth but many are just regular kids with hopes and dreams like any other kid. Their dreams might just be a little less grand than ours because of the reality of their circumstances.

Gabon, like many West African nations, has been blessed with reserves of oil and gas but like many of their neighbours the trappings that brings doesn't always filter down to those who need it the most. That's not anybody's fault, just the way of the world as it is. From what I've seen there, Gabon is better than most of its neighbours as far as eduction and social welfare etc is concerned but like many countries in the world, those that need it the most, often end up with the least.

Like many of you I've been fortunate in my life with loving and supportive parents that helped me fulfill many of my dreams and a fairly affluent lifestyle, where really I want for nothing, of any consequence, to be honest. Sometimes it's nice to give something back so I have decided to raffle a 4 ball tee time at any one of the world famous Gleneagles golf courses in an effort to boost the charity fund a bit. This prize is not exclusive to or just aimed at golfers and the vouchers can be exchanged for spa or massage treatments and if you have never had a Gleneagles spa treatment, then suffice to say you don't know what you are missing. The only prerequisite is that it must be used before the end of 2018.

The price of each ticket will be just £5 and you can buy as few or as many as you want and you will get a ticket for each £5 you donate. I intend to make the draw for the winner in 30 days time on the rig in Gabon again. This will be witnessed and taped by members of Team Norve then I will get in contact with the winner to make arrangements for them to enjoy their prize.

I do hope we raise more than £5 though, but time will tell on that one and I hope that you as my family, friends and work colleagues will help make that difference. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone that you know who you feel might be interested in helping this good cause or might fancy winning that prize.

If you do choose to donate please make sure you DO NOT tick the Gift aid box as this is classified as a raffle, because there is a prize, and is not eleigible for Gift aid from the government. Also please ensure you DO tick the box after donating that allows me to contact you and this is crucially important if someone has passed this onto you so I can get in touch if you win the raffle.

At the end of the day though, the real winners will be the kids. I have no idea how much we can raise with this and as a result I set the target to £5 which might seem ridiculous, but even if we only sell 1 ticket, then that would buy a football or a doll and bring some much needed joy to one kids life. That's making a difference !!!

Apologies for the long winded plea but as many of you know, brevity isn't my strong suit :-)

Thanks in advance for your support.

John