Sometimes, you feel like you just HAVE to get your bottom off your comfy sofa and get involved.

Imagine a 10-year-old kid looking you straight in the eye and saying "I come to this centre so that I don't get killed like my brother did...and because they teach me how to be a good person"...it gets your attention...hope is everything.

Hope through Action teaches kids life and leadership skills through the power of sport - www.hopethroughaction.com. This small but powerful South Africa-based charity, patroned by lifelong friends of Liz's, currently have two sports centres just outside Cape Town. Built from the ground up as a result of years of relentless fundraising by those at the heart of the charity, the centre's are a sanctuary for local young people, who would otherwise likely be on the streets, in gangs and in trouble, with little hope of a safe, let alone secure, future. There's only one word that describes the work of those dedicated to improving the outlook for kids in this poverty-stricken township; Amazing.

Cheesy? Yes. We ought to focus on charities on home shores? Maybe. But when you've visited the facilities, spoken to the kids, and seen the difference the charity makes to a whole community, it’s impossible just to walk away. These kids have nothing…apart from hope…and we feel compelled to do our bit to help turn hope into reality.

So, back home from our latest trip to Africa, we (Liz & Paul) roped in our good friends and all round big hearted, fellow adventurous folk, Nick and Helen (nothing like a sob story over a glass of Waitrose's finest to twist one's arm!)...and put our heads together to help create hope, through taking action.

What are we doing to raise funds?

-  A sports related activity to match the ethos of the charity. Tick.
-  African based to remind us who we're doing this for. Tick.
-  A significant physical and mental challenge to help us, in some small way, relate to the struggles these kids face everyday. Tick.
-  Far enough out of our comfort zones to encourage our friends to sponsor us. Tick (hopefully!).

So, we're booked...we're heading to Tanzania on the 1st October to cycle 350kms across hot, bumpy, dusty terrain. Dodging lions and elephant (ok, imagination got carried away there)...but it IS Africa! We will have a support crew, and the occasional hot shower so don't feel TOO sorry for us, but it's going to be tough. Our group first training outing proved that, and we only managed 30km!

Please help us to create 'Hope through Action'... Your action can be as simple as putting your hand in your pocket and sponsoring us, sharing this page, and/or attending one of our fundraising events (keep an eye on this page for details!). If all of our friends/colleagues/social media contacts gave just £1 (don't feel restricted of course, £100 is 100 times as good!) and all of you share with 10 people who also gave £1, we'd be well on the way towards reaching our ambitious target.

Hope is everything.

Thanks in advance,
Liz, Paul, Nick and Helen