It's always been very difficult for me to tell people what Chickenshed really means to me , because I always feel like I'll have more to say. At its core, Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company which makes beautiful theatre with hundreds of people from different backgrounds and life experiences, but to say it is only that would be doing a great disservice. 

Since I was a kid, Chickenshed has been like a second home to me; somewhere I always feel welcome without question. It has given me opportunities that I could never have imagined and given me the opportunity to meet and learn from people who I simply never would have crossed paths with in any other part of my life. 

Chickenshed has helped me develop hugely over the years as a performer, a musician and as a person. I have been pushed so far past my limits countless times and have achieved things that I never thought I was capable of (including the frankly ridiculous number of times I've gone on stage in full drag). There is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be half the man I am today without Chickenshed in my life.

Even in my darkest struggles with my mental health over the years, Chickenshed has always been there supporting me (often unknowingly) and giving me a bit of light in a very dark room. The experiences and relationships I have formed over the years at Chickenshed have changed my life and I will hold onto them for the rest of my life.

Anyway, enough rambling; Tough Mudder

Tough Mudder is a 10 mile extreme obstacle course that is "designed by British Special Forces to test the toughest of the tough". The event includes 25+ obstacles with names like "Dingleberries" and "Electroshock Therapy" or my personal favourite name, "Arctic Enema", and yes, the obstacles do look as painful as they sound. 

You're probably thinking, "Christ, Cole why on earth would you do that to yourself? That sounds horrible!" and yep, I'm with you on that one. However, if you know me at all you know I'm a horrific show off and always have to one-up other people, so when my parents ran a half marathon in their 40s with zero running experience in the past, I wasn't having it. A few beers later and I've convinced myself and our good friend Toby that Tough Mudder is a good idea, so here we are. 

Look at it this way, I'm going to be essentially torturing myself doing this thing, the least you could do is chuck in a tenner. Jokes aside, your donations will be a great incentive for me to keep going and get to the finish line, AND it's for an amazing cause which is extremely close to my heart, so I'd really appreciate it if you could give as much or as little as you can.

Thanks,

Cole x