Last  summer whilst relaxing on holiday I saw an advert in the Sunday Telegraph offering the chance of a lifetime to ride a motorbike off-road in South Africa and to raise £5000 for 3 charities. I didn't ride a motorbike at the time, but I thought this was a good chance to make a difference to the lives of some people in South Africa and a great way to start my early mid life crisis.....so I signed up (see www.EnduroAfrica.com for more info).

 

To date I have raised the minimum £5,000, learnt to ride a motorbike, done the theory and practical tests and spent 1 weekend in Wiltshire learning to ride off road.  There is more training to do (probably a wet weekend in the Brecon Beacons) and the opportunity to raise more money.

 

So far the money raised is going to be split between the following 3 charities:

- Nelson Mandela's Children Fund http://www.nelsonmandelachildrensfund.com/

- UNICEF (Born Free of HIV) http://www.unicef.org.uk/campaigns/born_free/

- Sentebale (Supporting Lesotho's Orphans and vulnerable Children). http://www.sentebale.org/home/index.html

 

As I have achieved my fundraising target through some very kind and generous donations, I now want to try and raise at least a further £2,000 and I would now like to support 2 charities (£1,000 each).  Firstly the Nelson Mandela fund for Children to continue to raise money for the children of South Africa.  

 

Secondly, I have decided to use this opportunity to raise some money for a local charity: Get A-Head.  This charity has some personal meaning as we have friends who work hard to support Get A-Head and who themselves have relied on the support network offered over the last 5 years.  The charity has been established for 14 years and aims to help those who suffer from Cancer and other diseases of the head and neck through research, support, equipment and education. To find out more, please visit: http://www.getahead.org.uk/.

 

The decision is yours.  Please either raise funds for the Nelson Mandela fund for children through this site, or go to : https://secure.efundraising.org.uk/tailored/donation.asp?charity=91789 to support the Get A-Head charity to donate on-line.  Please also spend some time on the site looking at the great work they do.

 

I leave on the 2nd of October and look forward to sharing stories from Africa in late October / November with you.

 

Many thanks for your support.

Dave