Ride London – Raffle for Samaritans

Those who know me know that I take part in a lot of events. I don’t tend to do a lot of fundraising for charity in events for a few reasons: Firstly, I do so many events that it is hard to find something that people will consider a good challenge to sponsor me for; Secondly, I raised money for my first ever marathon. I had a high target as it was for London and I found it very difficult to raise the money. I decided I would raise money again but with my own place so I wouldn’t have so much pressure in future; Finally, I know so many people raise money and it gets awkward, it’s not my style to just post asking for money, so this puts me off.

With all this being said, I have decided it is time for me to give this a go. The required target is not excessive, so takes the pressure away. I can therefore just enjoy raising money for a worthwhile cause. During this blog I will explain: what I am doing and why; who I am raising for and why; and how I will raise the money (this you will like).

What am I doing:

I have decided that I am going to Ride London 100. I have entered the ballot every year, that’s for the past 5 years. I have received a rejection letter ever year. So why this challenge? Well there are a few reasons. The course passes right near my house, and so I’ve always thought this would be a good challenge for me. Up until last year when I started training for and completed my Ironman, the furthest I had cycled was only a few miles to work. Even though I have cycled the distance once before it was hard work and I certainly am not considered a cyclist. This will be a hard challenge for me, and something I consider a proper challenge to push me to my limits. The venue and the challenge are part of the reason, but the date shares another special memory. My beautiful Amelie was born 2 years ago over this weekend and I clearly remember the worry of being able to get to the hospital with all the road closures. Fortunately the timings meant we were ok and didn’t have to run down any cyclist to get to the hospital.

Who am I raising for and why:

This year I was thinking about raising money, when a comment popped up from Samaritans, and it just clicked into place. Samaritans are available round the clock, every single day of the year providing a safe place for anyone struggling to cope, whoever they are, however they feel, whatever life has done to them. Many people will be aware of the great work Samaritans do, but I have had a much closer involvement with them. I have worked in the Prison Service for 10 years, and Samaritans play an important part in our prison system. They are not only assessable to prisoners as with anyone else in society, they go further and train prisoners to play a valuable role on the inside. These men and women act as “Listeners” and are there to support others in their time of need. I have had a lot of dealings with Samaritans and they really do save lives, and I have seen this first hand on many occasions.

How will I raise money:

This is the best part. I will hold a raffle and I have already had so many people offer some great prizes. I will list the details of prizes below and information about the great brands that have donated prizes. It is not too late to donate a prize, please contact me if you want to be part of this.

To enter please donate £10 to my just giving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Pickupthepacepaul?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=20170214_97062

In order to enter you to the prize draw please leave a comment with your name. I also need to ensure there is an element of skill involved owing to gambling rules, so also comment with the answer to this question.

Am I best known for being:

A) A dancer;

B) A pacer;

C) A cross dresser?

I will hold the draw on Monday 10th April. I will draw names and prizes from a bag and ensure it is recorded so can be verified.

The Prizes:

Xempo – Marathon Talk bundle (T-shirt, hat, buff). Worth £45 retail price.

Red Squirrel Running – hoody, casual tshirt and buff. Retail £45

UKTriChat – hoody, tshirt

DOMSeaseoil – 2 prizes of a bottle of DOMSeaseoil

Fitness rewards– voucher for pair of trainers up to value of £80

Xmiles – nutrition box

Energy snacks – 25 pound voucher

Grub – mixed case of 12 snack bars

Meatsnacks – 1 box of cruga and 1 box of wild west

Mad hatter sports events – Entry to any of their events.

Aat Events – Entry into Hard as snails midweek event
Ealing half – Entry

Running Adventures– entry into any night run

Enigma Running– need for speed full or Half first weekend in July

SBR Events- Grimsthorpe 10 entry

F3 Events – 2 prizes of entry to Henley half or 10k trail run

I wanted to say a big thank you to all those that have donated to my raffle. I also wanted to say thank you to the team at Breatheunity for supporting me. Please spend some time looking at the details of these great sponsors:

Xempo-

http://www.xempo.co.uk/

Red Squirrel Running –