Huge Thanks to the Smart Arts Theatre – £500 donation to MSF

I would like to thank the Smart Arts Theatre for a magnificent donation of £500 to Doctors Without borders. The guys at Smart Arts put on a hilarious panto back in December and have donated to 3 very important causes – MSF, Springwater School & the Sadie Rose Clifford appeal. I would like to particularly thank Pat Hudson whom I have known since 1984 (good lord above!) who was kind enough to suggest MSF as a benefiting charity. Thank you very much Pat I really appreciate your help.

The total funds raised is currently £28,891. Whats to be said , I ran out of superlatives so long ago. To quote from Futurama – I think you guys are 40 megafonzies of cool.

Thank you

The Gambaru Marathon – £540.60p for Doctors Without Borders

One year ago yesterday I travelled to Newcastle before sailing to Amsterdam to start the walk to Barcelona. It was total coincidence that the Gambaru Marathon took place on that anniversary. It is however fitting that two huge challenges take place exactly a year apart.

I first went to Gambaru in the rotten winter of 2010 when I was finding it hard to train because of the snow. I have been training there ever since. It has however been a lot more to me than just a place to exercise. Jonathan Walker and Francesca Pardini are two incredibly inspiring and positive people. Their advice and guidance has been totally invaluable since the day I met them. When I spoke to Jonathan about the idea of doing a treadmill Marathon there was no hesitation he (foolishly!!!) agreed immediately. So, yesterday after a lot of training we set off.

26 miles 385 yards and 4hours 15 mins later I hobbled in – about 30 minutes or so after Jonathan though I am convinced he only did a half Marathon!

With tremendous support from the Staff, gym members, friends (special personal thanks to Yvonne and Karen) and kind donors we  raised an incredible £540.60p.

Once again I would say a huge thank you to everyone at Gambaru. If you want to make a positive difference to your life , this is a great place to start. Just talk to Jonathan or Francesca – you will see what I mean.

The Gambaru Marathon 1400 tomorrow Friday 13th.

Last reminder (I promise) Jonathan Walker and I will start the Marathon in the window of Gambaru at 1400 tomorrow Friday 13th April. It will take about 4.5 hours (I hope). Please support us by dropping in and dropping off – some cash. You can also donate  via the website or by texting the code HTIA£1 to 70070. You can change the £1 to whatever you want to give. Moral support and no cash will be equally well received as I know most people I have ever known have given their hard earned money time and time again. I thank you for everything you have done to help Doctors Without Borders.

A Cup of Tea and a Slice of Cake 3

These tasty morsels are just a few of the treats sold at the 3rd COT&SoC (thats some abbreviation, sounds like a government Dept out of 1984). Sunday 1st April was a lovely sunny day and perfect for this wonderful event. Loads of hungry and enthusiastic customers made it a huge success. £813 was raised to be split between MSF, a fantastic orphanage in Thailand where Gilly worked for 2 weeks and Studley Roger Village Hall. This means £270 pounds goes to MSF and I would like to thank Gilly Spence and Howard Richardson for making this happen. I also send my thanks to the rest of our amazing team that make the day run so perfectly. More please Howard & Gilly !

Huge thanks to Brian Fletcher and all at Newburn Activity Centre

The money is now in from the Marathon at the Newburn Activity Centre. The event was organised superbly by Brian Fletcher (Instructor). The gang (shown above) raised a fantastic £392 for Doctors Without Borders. This money has been added to the walka2b running (see what i did there) total. I would like to thank everyone who participated and raised money that will help many people around the world. You are amazing. Next Marathon is at Gambaru Harrogate on 13th April. Please come along and support Jonathan and myself and consider donating via this site or on the day.

Thank You Stray Fm

Huge thank you to Stray Fm Harrogate for their ongoing support for Doctors Without Borders. Patrick Dunlop in particular has been wonderful. I chatted with Patrick today about the walk from Amsterdam to Barcelona and about the plan for the Marathon at Gambaru on the 13th April. It is very difficult to reach a lot of people with plans for fundraising as many people are doing wonderful things for great causes. This makes Stray Fm’s support invaluable both to me and therefore to the people who benefit from the work of MSF around the world. I will add the date of the broadcast as soon as it is confirmed.

Friday 13th April – Treadmill Marathon – Gambaru Fitness Harrogate

Up and Running Harrogate are now supporting the Gambaru Marathon. Massive thank you to them, especially Harry for his help. Please come along on the 13th April and say hello. Feel free to hurl cash in the buckets on the day or via the website at www.walka2b.co.uk

Jonathan Walker the owner of Gambaru is currently training for his second New York half marathon in March and for the Edinburgh Marathon in May. Jonathan will be running with me on the 13th and has very kindly agreed to donate the money he raises to MSF.  Please spread the word about our efforts.

Again, remember that all the money raised by this run go to Doctors Without Borders – Our Rehabilitation and wheelchairs will be privately funded !

Talk at Newcastle Uni Medical School and Today – a Marathon

What a magnificent couple of days in Newcastle. Yesterday, I gave my presentation to the Friends of MSF. There was about 30 very enthusiastic and interested people present and I am very grateful to them for giving up the early part of their Friday night to come and see me.

Today, I joined 7 others at the Newburn Activity Centre to run a Marathon. The wonderful Brian Fletcher arranged the event and did a great job of it. I ran the distance , Brian and my great friend Sara did it on the Cross Trainer and the other guys cycled it. A wonderful effort from all concerned to raise money for MSF. I can only really report from my perspective how hard I found the challenge. A few things seemed to go wrong today and I don’t know why. I ran 30km in training in 3 hours at Gambaru and felt fine. Today I was feeling awful even by 10km which I can’t explain. Anyway I ran the whole distance , it took 5hrs 15 or so and did nearly kill me but its done and Im very proud.

I will be back at Gambaru for the second run on the 13th April and appreciate any financial or spiritual support you can offer.

Thank you once again to everyone who took part.

Burlesque Without Borders – Now has its own Facebook page

Burlesque Without Borders is the huge fun and a huge fundraiser  (see what I did there) that charms Harrogate twice a year. This wonderful event now has its own dedicated Facebook page. Here you can see the magic unfold as we work towards BWB4 on 7 July. You can ask questions, link to performers and generally get up close and personal with the best Burlesque night in Yorkshire. To join the party CLICK HERE . There is a very important poll question on there right now- we want your opinion. Enjoy.

New Cash Extraction Method