UPDATE!!!
13/07/10 - Just over three weeks to go and 3/4 way to the K - thank you everyone who has donated - if you haven't and you want to, please get stuck in. For anyone interested, I'm stepping it up - despite not having done the bike yet, I feel 2h 30 is in the sights... bring it.
07/06/10 - looking alright at the minute - should be hitting the 1.5k mark swimming on the weekend, the 10k thereafter's about survival, bike is a bit of an unknown right now. Gonna go for the target Signore Natale set me of 2h 30mins.
All that's needed is another £560 in sponsorship, and an injury-free two months.
17/05/10 - It's only week 2 + approaching 50% + people I haven't seen in years and even small children are getting in on the act = my friends are brilliant people.
- Biggest issue right now is deciding whether or not to wear pink cycling shorts.
10/05/10 - Was overtaken by
various old people on Bromptons on Waterloo Bridge this morning - keep
your donations coming please - I'm £700 off and riddled with a virus.
04/05/10 - Training begins tomorrow!
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THANK YOU FOR DROPPING BY.
**£3** FROM EACH OF MY FRIENDS WILL SECURE **£1000 FOR AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL** AND ENSURE I HAVE GOOD REASON TO COMPLETE THIS PERVERSE CHALLENGE.
IN TRUE COMIC RELIEF FASHION, IF YOU CAN SPONSOR MORE, PLEASE DO SO - I AND THE BIG PICTURE WILL BE MUCH OBLIGED. PEOPLE GET HUNG UP ON THE AMOUNT THEY SPONSOR AND I THINK THAT'S POO. ULTIMATELY, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE LOTS OF PEOPLE
DONATE A SMALL AMOUNT RATHER THAN A FEW PEOPLE DONATE LOTS.
ALL CHARITY-HATERS MAY, OF COURSE, CHOOSE NOT TO DONATE THE £3, BUT I WILL EXPECT YOU TO USE IT TO PURCHASE ME A BEER AFTER THE EVENT.
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EVENT: London Triathlon Olympic Distance.
1.5k swim (Q: Where? A: In the Thames), a 40k bike
ride, and a 10k run to finish.
DATE: 8th August 2010.
CAUSE: I am raising money for Amnesty International, hence the pink text.
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If you don't know how important Amnesty's work is, get to know. Heavy things happen to people, people no different from you and me, every day, all over the world. When you compare a 'developed' society such as the UK's to a host of others worldwide, you soon realise the fine line that divides those who experience privilege, and those for whom securing the most basic of human rights remains a challenge. Amnesty helps protect, support and campaign for those who fight for the rights of others and, where necessary, their own.
An example for you to look into and
maybe take your own bit of action with can be found here:
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/actions_details.asp?ActionID=651.
From time to time I do translation work for Peace Brigades International, who also work
directly with the community. Documents I've worked on have
treated cases in which community members are 'disappeared',
buildings raided and community land razed.
If we make the £1k, Amnesty will be able to run a crisis response mission
for over one week, including setting up communication
channels, collecting research and distributing information throughout
the world - let's do our bit.