This one’s for you David (who died on Friday the 6th September) … and all the other cancer victims, past, present and in the future.

This site was up and running – ready to take donations – in July of 2013 for one very good reason. Because David Payn, a friend who both Rob and I worked with at Stansted for a number of years asked me to get it set up early. And the reason is that David was dying of cancer. He had only a few weeks to live – and indeed he died on the 6th September.

He had put his house in order – literally as well as metaphysically – and as he doesn’t want ‘people wasting money on flowers and all that nonsense’ (his words) he decided to ask people to donate to Macmillan Cancer Support, as they have been treating him at their new centre in London (very impressive according to David).

 

Then thinking further he decided he’d like colleagues, friends and family, if they’ve a mind to, to support Macmillan Cancer Support by supporting Rob and I through our Justgiving site – as he had always sponsored us himself in the past – and frankly he won’t be around next year to do so.

 

He’s also asked me to up our target for 2014 to a very bullish £2500.00 which of course I am happy to do. It also brings back into play the idea I had of trying to reach a grand total (in my last Macmillan 4x4 Challenge) of £25,000.00. In twelve years we have raised £22,062.50 – so the target would be £2937.50. Doable? I think so.

 

The theme this year is, as ever based on one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five book titles, and is: (Team) Five go down to the sea (Probably).

 

The 2014 event will be the thirteenth run of the Macmillan 4x4 Challenge and the twelfth time I have competed. And it will be a very special Macmillan Challenge this year – no not because it’s my last, but because the Macmillan 4x4 Challenge will have raised over one million pounds since it started back in 2001.

 

The 2014 Challenge takes place from Thursday the 6 – or Friday the 7 March 2014 (depending on who you believe!) – as it is a special event, it may be a day longer than usual and will finish at the Daresbury Park Hotel, Daresbury, Cheshire on Sunday the 9 March. Where we will go in between is a closely guarded secret – but I reckon we’ll go to the seaside, so I’m taking my bucket and spade and a cossy.

 

In 2013 we raised £1870.00, so to reach David’s target of £2500.00 in 2014 we need to raise an additional £630.00, and to reach my target of raising £25,000.00 in twelve years we’d need to up that by £1100.00. Yes, we CAN do it!

 

The total raised by the 67 teams in the 2013 Macmillan 4x4 Challenge was £113,000.00, so the total raised by this event in 12 years, is around £963,000.00 – and, as I mentioned, approaching the million pound mark – not bad for a bunch of off-roaders!

 

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Macmillan Cancer Support will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, with Gift Aid, an extra 25% will be added to your sponsorship at no cost to you.

So please sponsor us now! Give somebody the help and support they need through Macmillan Cancer Support.

 

Once you leave this site have a look at: www.mac4x4.co.uk to see just what is involved in the Macmillan 4x4 Challenge (sadly since a redesign you can no longer see, on the Home page, a shot of Muddy Blue Two – taken in Scotland in 2003 on the very first Challenge we entered).

We will willingly display advertising on our Challenge vehicle for any Donor.

Many thanks for your continued support, as many of you have sponsored us for each of the twelve years we've competed so far. Please keep it coming!

Mike Stapleton – Driver Rob Cable – Co-driver and Navigator

 

All donations go DIRECTLY to Macmillan Cancer Support – All entry fees and running costs associated with the Challenge are paid by ourselves.