Christmas is coming....!!

Hi everyone!

I can't believe that the evenings are drawing in so quickly, and there are Advent calendars in the shops! SO.......it must be time to start thinking about the REACH poster scheme again!

Last year we raised just over £4,000 which was fantastic.

Next January 18th would have been Rosie's 21st birthday. I'm really hoping that we can celebrate it by making this the BEST EVER fundraising year from the poster. Please support it and spread the news to everyone you know - your donations could help other children to live to celebrate their 21st birthdays.

You can donate online on the new just giving page (www.justgiving.com/rosiesposy)

The poster scheme is easy to run, just click on the link on this site and you can find out all about it.

Don't forget....pass the word!!

Hadrian's Wall Trek

Late September 2007, Carolyn and Bridget embarked on this to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital’s General Fund.

We were both a bit taken aback by the steepness of the trek, we didn’t realise it was listed on the Discover Adventure website as ‘Tough’ (The Great Wall of China is down as ‘Moderate’!!!!).

We braved the cold of the first night in a tent that was on a slight slope, and which would be followed by 16 miles of walking the next day. Carolyn had injured her hand before the weekend, so found it difficult to clamber in and out of the tent. Bridget got cramp in the middle of the night and did not succeed in extracting herself from the tent without waking Carolyn. Not a good night!

Breakfast was hearty; a full English, so we felt a bit better as we set off for the first day. We were broken in gradually, nothing too taxing at first and a stop at a tea house with proper seats and toilets after a few hours. Little did we know that this unexpected luxury would not be repeated!

The hills grew longer and gradually steeper and the 62 participants eventually spread out, with the leading group constantly grumbling to the leaders that the pace was too slow. We managed to keep in the first third for most of the day and Carolyn would have remained there, I’m sure, but very kindly lagged behind with Bridget for much of the time as the day wore on (helping her over stiles as her dicky hip got worse and worse!). We smiled smugly when one of the grumblers about the slow pace finally dropped behind us!

Suffice to say that Carolyn did really well this day (and the next) though did not find it easy by any means – it was a struggle to keep going at times. Bridget went on a journey of self discovery and has discovered herself to be a real whiner….close to tears for some of the time – no stamina! She soon found second wind however, on finding out that the lady in front was no less than 74 years old! Humbling.

That night we were treated to a ROAST DINNER no less, cooked on one stove at the back of the mess tent. How they did it, we just don’t know! Succulent pork and beef, Yorkshire puddings, new and roast potatoes, carrots, peas and stuffing!! All on a polystyrene plate and eaten with plastic cutlery. It was much needed! Not sure how Carolyn managed to cut through her plate so spectacularly – she had to leave the knife sticking out like a spear, otherwise the gravy would have seeped through the hole!

Another bad night – there was a high wind which threatened to pull up the guy ropes, and when we finally rose at 6 a.m. it was starting to rain. Lovely weather for packing our gear and taking down the tents (not!).

We were on the trail again at 8 a.m. for 11 miles of very, very high terrain. Our guides were, we realised, experts in the understatement. ‘Nearly there’ and ‘Just over the next hill’ were the stock replies to our pathetic requests to give up or ask how much longer we had to go.

By lunchtime Bridget was ready to give up, having noticed a toenail going blue. Carolyn’s hand was hurting and she had the start of a sore throat. (What could we expect really, with all that downhill walking and 2 nights in a cold tent??) The Discover Adventure Guide, Greg, assured us that there was only one more steep hill to go up and, after descending the other side; it would be ‘fairly flat’.

We should have guessed…………..



Hill after hill after hill faced us. By now we were soaked through as the wind and rain had been relentless all day. A couple of the climbs required hands as well as feet to grip the rock in order to get to the top. But we all did it, including the young girl with a terrible fear of heights.

By now, despite the urge to give up, a feeling was reverberating through the group. We were bonding as a team and were looking after one another. One poignant moment was when we all stopped at the large oak tree that was featured in ‘Robin of Sherwood’. Greg asked that we all stand for a moment in silence to remember why we were all here, and in particular those people we were doing this for, who would never be able to undertake this walk. He told us to drink in the beauty of the surroundings. We did this, about 70 people from all backgrounds – standing in silent tribute to the patients of Great Ormond Street as the wind and rain dashed our faces and we looked out at the gusts as they whipped across the distant skyline of hills. When we set off again, many had tears, which could not be masked by the rain on their faces, but we all had a new resolve, which served to see us through to the end.

The pace was faster than usual – this trek was supposed to have taken place in the middle of summer. Days were shorter now, and some people had trains to catch on this final day. However, close to the finish the leaders waited until everyone caught up so that we could all finish together. I was put in mind of the roman warriors scaling the wall in days of old as we all marched across the final hill, a new spring in our step! Our chariots awaited (lovely heated coaches!!) and as we crossed the final stile we were cheered by the Charity reps and the Discover Adventure Guides (the latter we had now forgiven for encouraging us to continue, as we could see what an amazing emotion we would have missed out on, had we failed to complete this challenge).

There were congratulations all round and many tears of joy. ‘Elation’ would fail to accurately describe the way we all felt. It was the high you only achieve through hard work, determination and the unexpected realisation that you have actually DONE IT!



We had booked into a B&B (many people faced long drives home that same day) and it felt like luxury to eat from a china plate, sitting at a table, and to then sleep in a proper bed – and this after only two days of camping! We drove back to Sussex, with legs that felt like lead, but hearts as light as feathers. The sense of achievement was huge. Will we ever do the Great Wall of China?
Watch this space!

Fundraising Stall at Southwick Fair - July 07

Thanks to my friend Jan Hammond who let me know about this fair, we set up a stall on the day to raise funds both for REACH and the Great Ormond Street Hospital General Fund (the latter was to boost the money raised for Carolyn and Bridget's Hadrian's Wall Trek).

As you can see, our stall looked great and although the event wasn't perhaps as well attended as usual, we managed to raise over £300!

Helpers on the day were Jan, Carolyn, Bridget and Ann. Thanks eveyone, and to all who supported us!

Even MORE money from the Bird Race!

I found this photo of Rosie, taken before she was ill, and thought it would be nice to share it with those of you who visit the site.

The main purpose of this newsletter is to say an enormous THANK YOU to everyone who took part in and supported the Bird Race. The total raised is now £1,614.57 which is just fantastic!

On July 14th a willing band of volunteers, myself included, will be running a stall on Southwick Green as part of the annual charity fair. We will be raising money for REACH as well as for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity's general fund. We've got loads of REAL bargains so if you are in the area please come along to see us. And keep your fingers crossed that the weather cheers up!

Bridget

All Change!

Rosie's Grandad and friends have completed yet another Bird Race..... raising over £1,000!! The question is, did they manage to spot over 100 different birds this year.....?? Visit the Bird Race page at the main site to find out, and read an account of the day!

A fantastic £4,174.40 was raised from the Christmas Poster Appeal for 2006!! Thanks to all who took part, you really help to make a difference!

There is a new address for the Just Giving Page, full details on the "Simply Donate" page on the main site.

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