Thank you for visiting my fundraising page.

Gandhi said 'Be the change you want to see in the world' 

I want to help the Anthony Nolan Trust save lives.

The Trek.

We will be travelling through the mountains like pioneers of old ( that means riding up to 8 hours a day, then making camp, no hot water and no wine!) We will start in the mountains above Mendoza on the border with Argentina and follow one of Charles Darwin's routes through valleys, woodland and over high passes (up to 4000m) eventually reaching the Western side of the Andes and the Chilean border (and a bath!). Daughter Helen is getting me an industrial sized deoderant how kind!!!!

I have started training; walking and riding almost every day to get those bum and legs muscles in shape.  We have a fund raising dance on the 23rd November in Eaglesfield village hall; tickets on sale now so book early! Tickets from me or the Post Office in Eaglesfield.

UPDATES:

Car Boot Sale at Langholm Agricultural Show on Saturday 22nd of September a total of £89.90 was raised. Thankyou to everyone.

£25 cheque donation from Mrs S (Thanks ever so much)

£90 from the joint gathering here at the farm (CVB and D&S) 7th November

£85 from Shetland Sheep Society members at the AGM Stoneleigh 3rd November 2007

£9.47 from  SERC members 4th November 2007

Friday 23rd November Supper Ceilidhi

Wow!    What a night! The whole community had a ball. Bon Accord, the band played to a full house of over 100 people. Village Catering Services of Dumfries; Janice Vevers and her business partner Jim, staff Libby and Judy served up a delious Shetland lamb stew with carrots and  mashed potatoes, all donated by local farmers and prepared by the Gair Team; all 168lb of potatoes and four shetland lambs!! More local angels baked 23 apple pies and Lockerbie Creamery of Lockerbie  sponsored the evening with their cheeses, butter and biscuits. Thanks for all the fabulous raffle prizes and the Whiskey Roll was a brilliant sucess.

 A grand total of £1512 was raised on the night

Thanks to everyone who has worked and helped and supported us these last few weeks. We are definitley on target with still the Social evening and other activities still in the pipeline...

Thursday 20th December Cheese and Wine Evening here at the farm.

Thanks to everyone who came we all had a fabulous night. The 100 board had whiskey from Harrison and Hetherington, and a toy tiger fron Adele Taylor and her husband, chocolates and biscuits from Tesco's with lots of other donations from friends and neighbours. £334. Thanks to Airtricity for a wonderful sponsorship cheque.

Lots of donations and sponsorships from friends and neighbours thanks to Willie and Penny, Liz and Ed, Liz and Iain, Hazel and Drew, Tom and family, Robin anfd Betty, Innes, Willie and family, Cumberland Building Society, Catriona, Fiona and Stephen, Carole and Alan, Jimmy and Olive and Hannah and her work collegues in Lockerbie who instead of sending Christmas cards  to each other collected the money they would have spent and sent it to the fund...£29 thanks gang.

8th March 2008.

More and more donations and sponsorships have been flooding in. Thanks to Annan Rotary Club for their extremely generous sponsorship, CJ Lang, Hottsbridge Primary School teachers and friends for your kind donation. Maureen and Nevile, Baz, Jude and the kids, Micheal JF and family, George A, all the regulars at the Little George Wombwell Barnsley for the collection and raffles of my shetland lamb Thanks very much Pam and Geoff for organising it all for me. All my friends and customers at Langholm 'Muckletoon Producers Market'. Thanks ever so much for all your kindnesses and support. Billy and Janet, all at Galhills, George and Beth M. for your personel donation and ANT collecting tub in the shop, Eaglesfield Post Office, Mace stores Ecclefechan, Scotts of Lockerbie, DW of Lockerbie, Lockerbie Post Office, Anne-Marie's, Eskdale Saddlery, Jobsons for the ANT tub and raffle prizes, Dirrops Farm Shop, Waterbeck for  'cutting up' of the shetland lamb for the dance and raffle prizes, Andrew Millers vets for placing the ANT tub and to all the friends and neighbours who have supported me and encouraged me in our fundraising marathon. Thanks to you all. xxxxxxxx

Well I'm back safe and sound from my adventure in the Andes and it really was an experience of a lifetime, it truely was amazing. The Andes are great humblers of men, and of other mountains!! I am writing up my journal at the moment and have accepted a few engagements to talk about the trek for a small fee of course all for the ANT fund.

Journal:

Day one; 12 noon. Leave Cauldronlea for Newcastle airport to Heathrow, then onto Madrid, over to South America and Santiago...after almost two days travelling arrive Mendoza; very turbulent flight thankfully only 35 minutes long! Arrive hotel and a bed at 8 o'clock just enough time for a quick wash and meet at 8.30 for a briefing and introductions; doc Liz and Lou our trek leader and then off for a meal. Lovely meal but typical 'Spanish time' we ate at 11 o'clock !! Lovely if we were on holiday and could have a long leisurely lie in tomorrow. All went back to the hotel for 11.30 shattered!   

Day three;  7.15 am Alarm call, savour our last shower and breakfast, pack kit bags, and down to the meeting room by 9.am for our formal trip briefing.

Introductions and briefing over we all pile into the minibus........Full of anticipation we start for the mountains to meet up with our trusty steads, driving out of Mendoza along the tarmaced road through suburbs and small villages.

The mountains thrust their majestic snow capped peaks through white fluffy clouds and completely encompass Mendoza. They  appear austere and still so wild 400 years after the Spanish first laid eyes on them. Only a few roads wound part way up them. Beyond these, dirt tracks and mule trails straggle to the higher levels; the Scaravelli refuge and our first camp at 3280 mtrs. Never had I seen anything like these mountains, Chris and I have been lucky enough to travel all over the world even to the Grand Canyon but these mountains left me speechless and emotional with the sheer overpowering wonder of it all. Suffering a little from altitude sickness but managed to get the tent up and ride for 3 hours so coping so far!

Day Four; Wake up call 6.45 am. Still dark but we need to be up to break camp, pack tents, saddle horses and pack animals and breakfast. I'd taken my dandy brush for the horse but realise I've sent my own hairbrush back to Santiago with the case!!

My horse Rosillio is lovely, forward going, soft mouthed, very responsive, a strawberry roan gelding. We are already a good team....he's enjoyed a good brush and shared my apple!! We leave camp at 9.30 am. Bang on time. This is to be along day. 8 - 10 hours riding as we will go through and over the Portillo de Argentino Pass. We get our first look at the small 'V' after three hours riding. I stood staring at the cloud shrouded sky that had hid parts of the mountains; I felt some misgivings....had I been over ambitious? Too late now I was here and there in front of us at 4,380 mtrs high lay the sharp 'V' sculpted in the hugh wall of the Andes' Frontal Range. This high pass is the gate to the valley of the Tunuyan River...an untammed world of wildlife and history..

I'll keep updating as I write my journal but don't stop sponsoring me

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It also saves me from counting all the money! It is the most efficient way to sponsor me: Anthony Nolan Trust will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

So please sponsor me now!

Many  many thanks for your support and encouragement  All best wishes Lenice x