Hi everyone, thanks for visiting my fundraising page, please take a moment to sponsor me online

My Challenge:

The first thing I am doing to raise money for the NCO is asking you to sponsor me to give up chocolate for a month, from the 15th September to the 15th October. I will keep you updated on here to let you know how I am doing, and will email any people who have sponsored me at the end of this month, to inform them about whether I was successful, and to thank them for their donation!

This includes any form of chocolate- so there's plenty of things I've got to avoid! Anyone who has attempted this before for lent or for other reasons, will know how difficult it is! So please do all you can to pledge even a small amount to help sustain this thriving organisation!

Updates on above challenge: 15th September-Today was my first day without chocolate...lets hope I can keep it up for the whole month!  22nd September- One week down, three to go!  29th September- Half way through. 1

15th October- Challenge completed!

About the NCO-   (www.nco.org.uk)

The National Children's Orchestra was formed in 1978 to cater for the needs of talented musicians under the age of 14. They currently have a total of nine different orchestras, involving over 550 young musicians. The NCO now has national recognition, has earned itself a reputation for excellence, and is making a meaningful contribution to the future musical wellbeing of Great Britian and to the social and musical development of the young people who are lucky enough to be members of the NCO.

Their mission is to "promote excellence in talented young musicians from across the UK, regardless of social, ethnic or financial background," and to assist this they have launched a 30th Anniversary appeal. The fees NCO has to charge are kept as low as possible to encourage interest and to make the experience accessible to as many as possible. Currently NCO's annual programme of courses and concerts costs well over £500,000; and fees cover only about two-thirds of this figure. This now means that the NCO's very existance is under threat due to lack of funds.

I was a member on the flute from 2005-2007, and found it an inspiring experience, which I thoroughly enjoyed and benefitted from. It was a lot of fun too, and I made many good friends which I hope to keep for life! I wish to help the NCO raise money to extend their bursary scheme, in order to allow many other children to share the same experience that I was lucky enough to have.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.