Ross Fittall

Ross' 40 At 40

Fundraising for St Basils
£7,626
raised of £4,000 target
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40 At 40 , 6 January 2019
St Basils

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RCN 1080154
We fight homelessness in the West Midlands to give young people a brighter future.

Story

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

To commiserate turning 40 this year(!) I have decided to undertake a number of new challenges over the next 12 months….40 to be precise!
In recent years I’ve taken part in many running and cycling events,  including cycling from London to Paris, but have purposely not raised any money for charity, partly because I’m conscious people already give to various causes and also as I had this idea lurking in the back of my head.

I have compiled a list of 40 things that I’m looking to do throughout the calendar year in which I turn 40. These include two major events:

  • London Marathon in April
  • Ironman Triathlon in September.

Although the other events might not be quite so physically demanding, I’m under no illusion it will be a tough year! The full list of my 40 at 40 is:

  1. Sleep Rough
  2. Learn a new language 
  3. Raise £4,000 for charity
  4. Cycle up some of the Alps
  5. Give up alcohol for 40 days - this could be tough!
  6. Run the London Marathon - come on legs
  7. Start yoga
  8. Become an organ donor
  9. Go to an open air concert
  10. Go paragliding - eek
  11. Run the 3 peaks
  12. Help out at a soup kitchen
  13. Complete the Empire 100 Greatest Movies
  14. Watch a film in the open air
  15. Write a poem
  16. Go on a road trip in a VW camper van
  17. Complete an obstacle running event
  18. Create a time capsule for the girls
  19. Race the Sun Lake District event
  20. See a Shakespeare play at the RSC
  21. Buy a canoe and canoe along the River Avon
  22. Go on holiday with old friends
  23. Learn to dance
  24. Make my own beer
  25. Go to a festival
  26. Get an article/photo published
  27. Be an extra in a movie/TV show
  28. Donate blood
  29. Visit a 1st/2nd World War Memorial
  30. Go wild swimming
  31. Put my phone down every night at 9pm
  32. Read a life changing book
  33. Go on a father/daughter camping trip
  34. Create a family tree
  35. Cook a curry from scratch
  36. Take the scenic route
  37. Fly a kite - its been too long!
  38. Make a food dish with a fish I've caught, something I've picked in the wild
  39. Document the 40 At 40
  40. Complete an Ironman Triathlon.......

I’d like to use this as an opportunity to support a local charity so I can make a difference for an issue that’s been troubling me for a while, so I’ve decided to donate all money raised to St Basil’s. For those of you unaware of St Basil’s, this is a Birmingham-based charity that offers help and hope to homeless young people between the ages of 16-25. Every day I walk past people living on the streets and wonder how best to help them. I know sometimes simply giving money is not actually the most appropriate response, so by doing something like this I know St Basil’s will be able to best use whatever money I can raise and put it to good use.

To add a bit of fun I’ve decided people can donate against a specific activity if they wish to, or simply give a general donation, all is welcome!

I’m really excited about embarking on this challenge, the people I hope to meet along the way and the memories it will create - but I have to say I’m pretty anxious too. I’ve always done a lot of running, mainly 800m around a track! More recently I’ve taken up cycling but I’m currently the
least fit I’ve ever been and also had a recurring calf injury for about 5  years that always comes on as soon as I run close to 10 miles, or a bit faster than normal and I never run on roads these days. So I have to be honest in saying that, whilst I promise to give it maximum effort, only injury will prevent me from completing the more physical activities. My other concern is the amount of time and effort I will need to devote to the tasks. I will have to balance this with a busy day job while ensuring I do not neglect my young family, so I would like to apologise in advance to my wife Kate for the time this is going to take up and ask for a bit more of her wonderful patience!

So this is a request to you all for your support. If you feel as though you would like to sponsor me, please do, it will make a huge difference! I also need some teammates on some of the activities so if you want to join me let me know!

You can keep track of how it’s all going through my personal
Instagram @rossdiggitty or Twitter accounts @ross_fittall

All support would be most welcome.

Best

Ross

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About the charity

St Basils

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 1080154
....

Donation summary

Total raised
£7,625.57
+ £971.50 Gift Aid
Online donations
£6,221.57
Offline donations
£1,404.00

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