Father’s Day – Miles for Macmillan.

So, as a fundraiser for Macmillan I regularly get emails about up and coming events I may be interested in.  Sometime in April one dropped in about doing some Miles for Macmillan, a nationwide campaign to raise £1.8million pounds this year through organised walks up and down the country (http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Fundraising/Walkingevents/MilesforMacmillan.aspx). A local walk was being organised by a fellow fundraising hero of mine, John Burkhill, a 4 or 8 mile meander around the canals and industrial parts of Sheffield, hum this is a walk I had wanted to do for a long time, being organised by a man I had wanted to meet for a long time, oh and the date, well it was organised for Father’s Day.  It was a done deal from that moment really, there was a £10 registration fee for each participant and it raised money through sponsorship.

I know sponsorship is a really valid form of fundraising and raises so much for so many causes through so many events; however, I have pestered my friends for sponsorship for years, for this race, that walk, this run, that fancy dress outfit, so when I set out the £10,000 charity goal, part of the challenge has been, for any events I do, make sure I am give something back to the people spending the money.  It also helps me try to think outside the box a little more and find new and wonderful ways to get friends and family to part with their hard earned cash.  

So, I opened the invite out to my friends, father’s day, £10, fun walk in Sheffield. I decided to cover people’s registration fee and then the £10 they paid went into the sponsorship bucket. I was hoping to get 10 of us and raise £100, in the end we had a group of 16 of us, I was so pleased my friends wanted to get involved and a lovely bunch of us it was as well.

The week in the run up to the event I was a little nervous, Father’s Day may be a little tough, made me think about Dad a lot and didn’t want the walk to be an emotional thing, I wanted it to be a celebration, a time for reflection, a nice walk out with my Mum and my friends. My Dad loved helium balloons and I have released various balloons over the last 18 months, my way of sending a message to him and decided to do the same on Father’s Day. I also got an extra special one made for the dear Quinn for a beautiful couple facing a tough Father’s Day who also joined us on the walk.   

The walk itself was lovely, spent a lot of time talking to my Mum and my friends, found a nice space to release the balloons with Poppies and Daisies and had a nice pint afterwards. I got to meet John, gave him a hug, told him his efforts were amazing and he probably thought I was a bit crazy. Even so, when he saw we were having a group picture, he came and got involved which was fab. (You can read more about Johns efforts here - http://www.justgiving.com/madmanwithpram)– Overall I was pleased with the day.

However, the reason I have found this entry difficult to sit down and write is because, I am not sure about how the walk started. It kinda put an edge to it, which has made me reconsider attending future events. There was a group welcome speech and warm up. The speech was too much. Too heavy. Too much focus on the sad. Almost felt like it was a preach to the converted and felt it was unnecessary. There was a strong emphasis on all the sad aspects of cancer and how it affects so many people and how it destroys so many lives.  It got too much and I had to walk away, I couldn’t hear any more, I know too well in a very raw way how sad it is, how it destroys families, how it leaves holes in people’s lives that cannot be filled by anyone or anything other than the person that has gone.  Then there are the people who are currently undergoing treatment, facing the uncertainty and desperately hoping to get to the point of being in remission and being able to celebrate but with the fear and knowledge that it may come back and come back worse… if they are on the walk, why do they need to hear that cancer kills X people a year, do you not think they are fully aware of that and are terrified of the potential outcome? and there’s all the people that are caring for people who are suffering at the moment or looking after friends and family who are grieving, scared of losing someone they love. Why make people relive all of that? I am sure every person who was there, knows why they are there, they know who Macmillan are.

I was told that after I had walked away, someone came on who gave a success story, one of the people that got to celebrate, which is amazing, I am so very happy that people get to do this and I imagine it is so… so…. I don’t even know what… but special… something… to be able to stand up and say, thanks to Macmillan for the support. People said it was a shame I missed the success story, I am not sure it is.  Maybe it’s all too soon still; I know I am possibly going to find this harder than some. But I wanted my Dad to be a success story, he so desperately wanted to be a success story, not getting through the treatment wasn’t an option for him. Part of what I find hardest, struggle with, guarantees to upset me, is the disappointment for him that he couldn’t beat it – obviously I do get sad for me, sad for that fact that I don’t get my Dad in my life, but sad for him, so, so sad he couldn’t do all the things he had promised and firmly believed he would do, I know he would be gutted. But anyway I digress… my point I suppose is why pull the emotional card at these events, it seems unnecessary and I suppose it seems a bit inconsiderate as people are usually there for a reason and that reason for them may be a very difficult one.

An alternative I suggest, is celebrate, have a celebratory speech, have a minutes silence for people to still personally reflect to show that you are still respecting that things are, can be, have been tough. But celebrate the nurses, celebrate the money raised and what it will help provide for Macmillan, celebrate people who are on the walk who may not be on it without Macmillan’s helps, but the key word here is celebrate, not pull on peoples heart strings for what all I felt seemed to do is make people sad. It’s sad enough.

I have fed this back to Macmillan and but I am also really interested to hear how other people find these emotional pleas for help at the beginning of events? Anyone who has done Race for Life will know it is the same there as well. I don’t get it, but maybe if others could share what they get from it and help me understand, I won’t be so against it, knowing that for some people it really helps them.

Let today be a good day...

Today is hard, I don't know if it is the backlash from a good weekend surrounded by friends, family and rollerderby... either way, I feel like things are incredibly unfair, why did Dad have to get ill, why couldn't Dad be one of the happy success stories so many others talk of, why couldn't Dad still be here with me, why can't Dad be here to give me advise and courage to do what I really want to do.

I am trying to be strong, trying to remember words and kindness from so many people since it has happened but all I want to do is scream and shout and cry...

Dads' page is still active on facebook, I often go on it and look at it, make a comment look at conversations he has had in the past. The last few times I've tried I've struggle to get to his page, today was no exception and thought it was finally over and I wouldn't be able to go to it again - this broke my heart a little bit. It seems so silly, it is only facebook, but it is a link, a way in, a way to make him still feel like he is here, even if I am totally kidding myself. I got their eventually, but I realise it may not be there forever - this makes me sad.

Yesterday was Fathers Day and we did the Fathers Day Macmillan Walk, which I will write another entry about another day, when negativity isn't so strong.

Miss you Dad. xxxx

Sheffield Walk 2012

I shall be walking this on the 17th June 2012, not only is it a Macmillan Walk but it is Fathers Day and I couldn't think of anything more apt to do on such a day.

http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Fundraising/Walkingevents/Sponsoredwalks/NorthEngland/Sheffield%20walk%20with%20John.aspx

I am currently championing getting an additional 9 people to do this with me. At £10/person that is another £100 towards my total.

John Burkhill, the man behind this walk is an incredible inspiration - he has already raised £150,000 and wants to raise £250,000. He has dedicated so much time to this and will continue to do so. I am looking forward to meeting him and more than likely embarrass myself by giving him a big hug. Here is his story and page  http://www.justgiving.com/madmanwithpram

Come and join me... it will be fun and I promise a delightful picnic as a reward.

Month of May

Things have been a bit slow of late with life admin, a flurry of hen do’s, weddings, new babies and 30^th birthday bashes keeping me busy. I’ve also had some sad news that another close family member is has been diagnosed with cancer and is now undergoing treatment, so this is another reason to keep this challenge alive and get moving with the next event. The money that goes to Macmillan will help in so many ways, here are just a few things it can do

·         £20 helps Macmillan relieve people's fears

Macmillan nurses and trained advisers on the helplines are there to answer anyones questions.

·         £40 provides support

The counsellors and psychologists support anyone living with cancer, whether they're coping with depression or anxiety or simply need someone to talk to.

·         £100 helps Macmillan reach more people

Help Macmillan be there for the two million people who are living with cancer in the UK today.

I am seeing my sister this weekend and going to discuss the Mini Tractor ride mentioned in my last blog post, it is time to start making this happen whilst I am preparing for the End to End version.

Meanwhile a fantastic friend of mine, Mark Aldridge, is doing this http://www.justgiving.com/ooaldridge and contributing all donations to Macmillan as part of the £10,000 challenge. His training is including competing in an Iron Man Triathlon! So, if you can dig deep and donate to this event.

Off the back of the success of the last pub quiz I am also considering doing this again in the summer, it won’t be as epic as the first, but I think a regular quiz could be a fantastic earner.

Oh dear, a mini tractor ride in the making

I just had this conversation with my sister on Facebook

For those of you who may not know this already, I am currently planning a End to End (up and down country the Lands End to John O Groats) on a tractor following my Granddads footsteps after he did it in the 1970s, this I believe may the start of a trial run! A smaller tractor, more leg work, less miles...


I already have some on route fundraising ideas in my head! 

The Bath Half

One of my older sisters, Kathryn and 7 of her friends (Kim, Hannah, Theresa, Ed, Mark, Gordy and David) have all rallied together to raise an amazing £500 for Macmillian and Myeloma and a further £700 for 3 other charities; Mind, Parkinsons and Alzheimers. So a FANTASTIC total of £1200 towards the £10,000 target. This is amazing news and maybe I will hit this target sooner than I ever imagined. Do I dare say it, if I make it to £10,000 should I be upping this goal to £25,000?

Here is what Kathryn had to say about this event, her training, the day and how she feels afterwards.


It all started in about September... a cheeky facebook invite went out to a group of friends:

I can't quite believe I'm doing this... but, I've already mentioned it to a few people, who are keen.

I'm proposing a weekend in the beautiful city of Bath, with a half marathon thrown in the mix. To make it more appealing, I'm also proposing a Sunday running club, which involves a little bit of training and a little bit of winter wine.

Who's in??

Before I knew it there was 10 of us signed up, with varying levels of running experience from seasoned runners to first timers and so the training began... well, the meeting up on Sundays to drink wine began, less of the running, that didn't really start until the New Year when we soon realised we had less than 10 weeks till the big day. We started clocking up the miles, with several of us meeting for long runs at the weekend. One Saturday Theresa and I went out in minus 5 degrees, we got actual ice on our chins as we were running. Although it was a beautiful morning with steam rising off the canal and bright blue skies, it turned out to be a bad idea as I picked up a nasty cough which put my training back a week or so.

I last did a half marathon in 2007 with a finish time of 2:29 (thanks Tammy!) and I was determined to train better and be faster for this half marathon. I was aiming for 10 minute miles which would have given me a sub 2:15 finish time, but I really struggled with the hills (I HATE HILLS) and interval training so wasn't making huge steps at increasing my pace. Still, I'd definitely put more training miles in for this run then any previous ones so I went in quietly confident I could make the sub 2:15 target.

On race day weekend, after a long schlep from South East London, and with a carb loading Burger King on the M4, we made it to the beautiful village of Wellow just outside of Bath where we had a massive cottage booked. It was a stunning weekend with a lovely walk in the countryside, snooze in the sunshine and civilised (read sober) carb heavy dinner on the Sat night.

Then race day arrived. It was foggy and chilly as our slightly mad taxi driver picked us up on Sunday morning for the short drive into town. We were very early, but there were plenty of other runners about and a lot going on at the charity village. The fog cleared and the sun came out as we approached the start line. I ran with 2 of the other girls up until around mile 4, it was hard staying together in the crowds, with slightly different paces. It was hot. Very hot. And with some small hills despite talk of it being a flat route (did I mention I hate hills). Miles 10 - 12 were a killer, mainly because I missed the mile 11 marker and thought I was going at snails pace and never going to finish! When the mile 12 marker game into view it was such a surprise and a wonderful sight... could I still make the 2:15 time? I saw some of my family around the course, who had come along to support me (love you guys) and this really helped me on the final stretch, I even did a (sort of) sprint finish (check out the video on marathonphotos.com) Officially my time was 2:16:58 but I had to stop for a wee at 10k so I think I can almost claim this as a sub 2:15 time. I was feeling pretty emotional when I met the guys at the Macmillan tent and was very proud of all of us and our amazing achievement. A few blisters, cuts and aching muscles but we were all in one piece and most definitely off to the pub!

I had such a fantastic time training with friends, raising so much money for amazing charities and having a long weekend away. Although it was amazing, I think our next weekend away will have more of a focus on wine than running, although I've got the bug and am raring to sign up for another one so I can properly smash the 2:15! Royal Parks anyone?? 

The day of the pub quiz....

It was finally the day, there were butterflies in my stomach and I had a whole load of nervous energy I needed to use up. The night before I had everything organised and in the right boxes, a final list (of course) of things I needed to do/pick up and made a load of tasty treats to sell. I was as ready as I ever could be and needed to get on.

First things first, a trip to Rooney’s Butchers on Eccelsall Road to pick up my raffle prize of fresh meat, a pile of sausages, steaks and eggs later, I move onto the lovely Sharrow and they had put together a beautiful hamper and wild and wonderful fruit, veg and even chucked in some cheese and chutneys – all delicately put together with ribbons and presented in a lovely box.

Next on the cards was a round trip to all my friends’ houses to pick up an array of cakes, biscuits, cakes, cookies, brownies and yes you guessed it more cakes… hum the trick now was to not eat any! Whilst I was doing this, I had people at home making posters and price lists, colouring pencils out and music on, I imagine my sister couldn’t have been happier.

So, I packed up the car with everything, including my willing helpers my sister Kathryn, my Mum and my boyfriend Chris… to the Riverside we go. Is that snow I can see?

An hour or two later the room is looking spic span, about 65 chairs had been squeezed in every space possible, walls brightened up with posters and information and I’d bought some gerberas in red and white for all the tables. They were my favourite addition to the room, gerberas are one of my favourite flowers anyway and the red and white is Dads team colours (Stoke City) – it was my way of having Dad there with us. We all settled in to a Riverside booth and had a late lunch/early dinner, lining the stomach seemed necessary.

As we left the pub the skies had opened and it was definitely sleet that was pouring from the skies, all is fine I thought it was only sleet, the rain part will soon melt it all and everyone will still make it. As we drove home the sleet definitely was turning into snow, but I was still convinced it would go away, it never sticks when I want it to, why would it now.

An hour to get ready and I was crawling the walls, anyone who knows me, knows I speak fast, in that hour I think I had clocked in at a least 1,000 words per minute and also where were Kathryn and Chris, they had gone to get cash and it was taking ages, did they not know I needed to go??? Looking outside the snow was, well definitely snow and was definitely sticking; they must just be taking it careful on the roads. Slowly but surely I was getting texts and calls from friends saying they couldn’t make it, taxies were refusing to pick them up from the height of some of the hills they live on and they didn’t fancy the 40 minute walk to the pub. Hum, I’d forgotten I was at the bottom of a very hilly valley, if we had snow, people up the hill probably already had an inch! Still, I was going no matter what, nothing was going to stop me – and yes, I was still going to wear my lovely black dress and red heals – alright I might have packed the heals in the bag, well I didn’t want the snow to ruin them now!

We eventually made it back to the Riverside, we went to the function room and awaited our guests – when I got there I was greeted with a lovely surprise from my big sister Andrea, she couldn’t make it as they had already had snow and instead when Kathryn and Chris had “gone to get cash” they had been and picked up some balloons on request from Andrea. 10 red and white balloons had been paired up and tied to the vases with the flowers and they looked just incredible.

The night couldn’t have gone better, despite the snow that continued to fall the room was packed full, every seat was taken, I couldn’t of actually fitted anyone else in, that snow I was cursing was still falling thicker and faster and had put a lot of people off, this worked in my favour as I would have been turning people away. At £2 entry per person (free raffle ticket included) it couldn’t have been a better deal, for that you got 60 questions, some music rounds and special bonus rounds which included me doing charades and Pictionary style show downs in front of everyone. My quiz master Nathan Webster was amazing, kept the crowd in check and kept it moving nicely. The cakes sold well, as did the chutneys and I am sure the raffle tickets were the bestselling item on the night. This was down to our expert sales techniques and offers you couldn’t refuse. Kathryn definitely would have won Lord Alan Sugars best seller, “Double the price, three times the chance” could be heard echoing around the room. A quick tally on the night and I’d raised an astonishing £320, my target was £200… so for a first event I couldn’t be happier!

People all began to disperse with some final cake and chutney purchases, with many words of “We had a great evening”, “when is the next one?”, “Can I have the recipe for…”. We could finally sit down and have a drink and relax – how we were going to get home we had no idea! Thankfully the Riverside said we could store everything there, so we just had to get ourselves home. We decided to walk, during the course of the evening about 4 inches of snow had fallen and so the walk home was a lot of fun, snow angels, snowball fights and running through untouched snow at every opportunity was a magical way to end the evening - wet feet and cold hands aside I had a huge grin on my face…

Losing Dad has been the hardest thing to get my head round and find I am often still trying to work it out… days like that of the pub quiz give me something to focus on and something so positive smile about in and amongst the sadness, I didn’t know how much work it would take to it do and I didn’t know if it would come to anything, but it did. Thank you to everyone involved everyone who made it through the snow and to Dad for giving me the strength to do it.

Oh and the final tally after selling the remaining cakes at work was a grand £507! AMAZING!