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Peter and I are going to be cycling from Limoges to Santander on the 2009 stage of our pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, starting on Sept19.

Before we go I am going to take the CLIPPERS to my hair!

Why?

Because it needs a cut, and it gets sweaty and dusty when we are cycling.

Then I thought - why not get sponsored to cut it REALLY SHORT!  For a Good Cause?

So why WaterAid?

Because when we are on our pilgrimage we have to think about water, washing and loos much more than we do at home.

Drinking water comes out of taps in Europe, and it's almost always safe to drink, but

884 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. This is roughly one in eight of the world's population. (WHO/UNICEF)

There are plenty of toilets in France and Spain, even if sometimes we have to 'go' in the bushes.

Sanitation can be defined as access to safe, clean and effective human urine and faeces disposal facilities. Worldwide, 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, this is almost two fifths of the world's population. (WHO/UNICEF)

1.4 million children die every year from diarrhoea caused by unclean water and poor sanitation - 4,000 child deaths a day or one child every 20 seconds. This equates to 160 infant school classrooms lost every single day to an entirely preventable public health crisis. (WHO/WaterAid)

At the end of the day, we get to have a really good wash.

To gain the full benefits of safe water and sanitation communities also need to know about the links between diseases and unsafe hygiene practices. Hygiene education focuses on issues such as personal hygiene - the simple act of washing hands with soap and water can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by a third.

WaterAid is an international charity. It's mission is to overcome poverty by enabling the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.

To find out more go to   http://www.wateraid.org/uk

I will do the deed on Thursday, 17 September.

If we raise over £100 I will set the clippers to 3/4 inch.

If we raise over £250 I will set them to 1/2 inch.

If we raise over £500 I will set them to 1/4 inch.

Pictures will be posted!

To find out more about our pilgrimage you can read our blog:  http://buchaneers7.wordpress.com

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.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Many thanks,

Bridget

xx