The first event we have had was back on the 9th June and a wonderful friend Nikki Johnson organised a "As Good As New" shopping evening.
The idea came from the fact that Nikki and a few of her friends had loads of children's and women's clothes in such copious amounts that listing them on eBay would have taken a lifetime and they were too good to sell for just 50p at a car boot sale. So the shopping evening was the perfect alternative.
Held in a beautiful huge hall at one of Nikki's friend's home the shopping evening came together brilliantly. Nikki was a star and an amazing amount of time and effort into it, so much so that all I had to do was invite people and turn up on the night!
And it was a huge success! With the sale of clothes (from which most of the proceeds were kindly donated into the Macmillan fund), raffle, entry fee, sock monkeys and wine the total came to nearly £600!! This vastly exceeded our expectations and we were so incredibly happy with this amount.
We cannot begin to thank Nikki enough or the people who came to sell their lovely clothes as well as the huge amount of ladies who came to shop! We are overwhelmed at the amount of kindness, support and generosity that people showed.
Thank you!
Onto the next..........!
Friday, 5 August 2011
Where to start?
Oh my goodness! I've not updated my blog since the beginning of June and so much has happened since then. But where to start......
I think it's best to do this in a few different posts so watch this space for all our updates about what's been happening as so much has happened!!!
I think it's best to do this in a few different posts so watch this space for all our updates about what's been happening as so much has happened!!!
Friday, 3 June 2011
Progress
As of yesterday morning, our forms have been received and we've been accepted onto the trek! It really is happening now which is exciting and terrifying in equal parts. I think the next year is going to literally fly past us and before we know it we are going to be packing our bags!
So in light of our impendingdoom trek we continue to plough on with fundraising and organising. My life seems to have been taken over and I'm busier than I've ever been but I am truly loving it. We have masses of ideas and are planning lots of different things but the main three events we are consumed with at the moment are a Fun Dog Show in August, a Masquerade Ball in October and a Zumbathon, hopefully in July.
Just today, things have started to fall into place with the dog show as we've found a judge and booked a venue. So Ally and I got together and wrote HUGE lists of things to do so my busy life sets to get busier!
I've also had a wonderful friend organise a shopping night, of her volition, with all proceeds going towards our fundraising - I cannot begin to thank her enough! That's happening next Thursday so we are now anxiously waiting for all our fundraising merchandise to arrive from Head Office. Hopefully there will be lots of ladies buying some lovely clothes and donating lots of money!
The ball is probably the most exciting thing we are trying to organise but also one of the most frustrating! We've found a great venue with not such a great price and also a not so great venue with an amazing price. All in all, at the moment we are just waiting a lot of the time for people to phone/email us back before we can start cracking on.
Last weekend with the Bank Holiday was so difficult. Ally and I were so fired up on Thursday but nobody was around on Friday to talk to and we were held in limbo for a very long weekend until we can start our next round of phone calls, emails, meetings, haggling, bargaining and shamefaced begging!
And now we have another weekend which I am wishing away so we can start all over again next week!
So in light of our impending
Just today, things have started to fall into place with the dog show as we've found a judge and booked a venue. So Ally and I got together and wrote HUGE lists of things to do so my busy life sets to get busier!
I've also had a wonderful friend organise a shopping night, of her volition, with all proceeds going towards our fundraising - I cannot begin to thank her enough! That's happening next Thursday so we are now anxiously waiting for all our fundraising merchandise to arrive from Head Office. Hopefully there will be lots of ladies buying some lovely clothes and donating lots of money!
The ball is probably the most exciting thing we are trying to organise but also one of the most frustrating! We've found a great venue with not such a great price and also a not so great venue with an amazing price. All in all, at the moment we are just waiting a lot of the time for people to phone/email us back before we can start cracking on.
Last weekend with the Bank Holiday was so difficult. Ally and I were so fired up on Thursday but nobody was around on Friday to talk to and we were held in limbo for a very long weekend until we can start our next round of phone calls, emails, meetings, haggling, bargaining and shamefaced begging!
And now we have another weekend which I am wishing away so we can start all over again next week!
Thursday, 26 May 2011
And so it begins!
It's official. The registration forms and money went in the post today - there is no turning back now!
So to celebrate Ally and I got together this morning for a monster brainstorming and fundraising session. Our to do lists are scarily long!! But we have so many ideas coming together, it's incredibly exciting.
Our list of events gets longer every time we get together and so do the to do lists. But we are cracking on and in the pipeline there is a Zumbathon, Dog Show, Halloween Ball, James Bond night, quizzes, speed dating, pamper evenings, coffee mornings and SO much more!
It's hard to know where to begin but we are currently working on the Dog Show and Zumbathon which we hope will both be really popular. It's just a long journey ahead and that's before we even do the trek....
So to celebrate Ally and I got together this morning for a monster brainstorming and fundraising session. Our to do lists are scarily long!! But we have so many ideas coming together, it's incredibly exciting.
Our list of events gets longer every time we get together and so do the to do lists. But we are cracking on and in the pipeline there is a Zumbathon, Dog Show, Halloween Ball, James Bond night, quizzes, speed dating, pamper evenings, coffee mornings and SO much more!
It's hard to know where to begin but we are currently working on the Dog Show and Zumbathon which we hope will both be really popular. It's just a long journey ahead and that's before we even do the trek....
Thursday, 12 May 2011
The quest for fundraising begins....
......with Sock Monkeys!
No, I'm not joking. I've always had a weakness for these little fellows and with some research have found that they sell for upwards of £10. Again, not joking.
So, being quite creative I am going to start making this little creatures and sell them to anyone and everyone I know! Within minutes of posting a picture of my prototype monkey on Facebook, I've had a fab response from my wonderful friends and even had an offer of a stall at a craft market!
My cunning plan is to spend my evenings (currently spent wearing out my Sky+ box) making them and then selling them for £10 each with every penny going towards our fundraising and therefore to Macmillan.
I think that by touting them on Facebook, Twitter and here and also by taking them with me to events that I'm already doing with Phoenix I could potentially do quite well.
I've created a Facebook page - Sock Monkey Picchu (see what I've done there?!!) and all new creatures will be listed for sale as soon as I have made them! So please feel free to like my page and buy as many as you can! This way you also get something back from your donation but are safe in the knowledge that every penny of your money is going to Macmillan!
Here's a thought - if I can make 370 of them and sell them for £10 each then I will have raised the minimum sponsorship money needed for the trek........
No, I'm not joking. I've always had a weakness for these little fellows and with some research have found that they sell for upwards of £10. Again, not joking.
So, being quite creative I am going to start making this little creatures and sell them to anyone and everyone I know! Within minutes of posting a picture of my prototype monkey on Facebook, I've had a fab response from my wonderful friends and even had an offer of a stall at a craft market!
My cunning plan is to spend my evenings (currently spent wearing out my Sky+ box) making them and then selling them for £10 each with every penny going towards our fundraising and therefore to Macmillan.
I think that by touting them on Facebook, Twitter and here and also by taking them with me to events that I'm already doing with Phoenix I could potentially do quite well.
I've created a Facebook page - Sock Monkey Picchu (see what I've done there?!!) and all new creatures will be listed for sale as soon as I have made them! So please feel free to like my page and buy as many as you can! This way you also get something back from your donation but are safe in the knowledge that every penny of your money is going to Macmillan!
Here's a thought - if I can make 370 of them and sell them for £10 each then I will have raised the minimum sponsorship money needed for the trek........
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
And our chosen charity is.........
Macmillan Cancer Support!
Ally came round this afternoon and armed with chocolate shortbread cookies (not good for our training but we will walk them off!) we had decided that we weren't leaving until we had chosen a charity.
Rather surprisingly we actually made the decision to fundraise for Macmillan within the first 5 minutes! We each had a shortlist of charities that we had considered and actually Macmillan was the obvious choice for both of us. As I've previously mentioned, I lost my grandmother to cancer when I was very little and my parents tell me she was cared for by Macmillan nurses but due to a lack of funding, they couldn't offer as much support as was desperately needed. So if we can help someone else just a little bit, that would be amazing.
Although I say a little bit, we actually worked out the amount we need to fundraise stands at a staggering and incredibly daunting £7500!!!!! But Ally keeps assuring me that once we get the ball rolling the money will start coming in thick and fast.......
Which leads me on to our Just Giving page - we also set this up this afternoon and would love to get the donations coming in so please donate whatever you can, it all helps! Just go to www.justgiving.com/incatrekchallenge
Ally came round this afternoon and armed with chocolate shortbread cookies (not good for our training but we will walk them off!) we had decided that we weren't leaving until we had chosen a charity.
Rather surprisingly we actually made the decision to fundraise for Macmillan within the first 5 minutes! We each had a shortlist of charities that we had considered and actually Macmillan was the obvious choice for both of us. As I've previously mentioned, I lost my grandmother to cancer when I was very little and my parents tell me she was cared for by Macmillan nurses but due to a lack of funding, they couldn't offer as much support as was desperately needed. So if we can help someone else just a little bit, that would be amazing.
Although I say a little bit, we actually worked out the amount we need to fundraise stands at a staggering and incredibly daunting £7500!!!!! But Ally keeps assuring me that once we get the ball rolling the money will start coming in thick and fast.......
Which leads me on to our Just Giving page - we also set this up this afternoon and would love to get the donations coming in so please donate whatever you can, it all helps! Just go to www.justgiving.com/incatrekchallenge
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Decisions, decisions!
On Thursday night I made a really big decision that is going to take over my life for the next twelve months.
I decided to trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
I have always, always wanted to travel the world and my plans in my gap year didn't really go according to plan (long story!). So apart from a few, albeit wonderful, holidays my itchy feet have never been scratched. And now that I'm a Mamma I can't see Fjóla, Nick and I backpacking round the globe! So, I got to thinking as to how I can see the world.
Since starting as a Phoenix Trader four years ago, I've done quite a lot of charity fundraising and have raised a good amount of money. This makes me feel all warm and tingly inside knowing that even though I'm not doing anything life-changing I can still contribute a little bit to some very worthy causes.
So if you put together this warm tingly feeling and the itchy feet you'd probably think that I need to see a doctor! But in fact my little blonde brain went into over-drive and after a bit of surfing on the net I saw that loads of charities offered the chance to fundraise by trekking the Inca Trail. So it turned into a bit of a 'no-brainer' decision - I was going to do it!
The first thing I thought though (apart from the fact I would have to raise a shed-load of sponsorship money!) was that it would be so much more fun and enjoyable to do this trek with a friend.
So I posted a request on Facebook to see if I had any other friends willing to embark on this journey with me. And I got a response from a friend who said she would also love to come on this great adventure with me!
Ally O'Neill!
So here's a little bio about my travelling buddy!
The truth of the matter is that I don't know Ally that well. We only met in March when she joined my Phoenix team but she's one of those people in life that you instantly click with! It's very hard not to like her or smile when she's around. In truth, I think we are very similar. And I think that this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship! (I hope you agree Ally!)
So, that's two decisions made - to do the trek and go with a friend.
Next decision. Which charity to support.
Ally and I have talked quite a lot about this and I've put a lot of thought into it and it's probably the next biggest decision after choosing to do the trek.
This might sound like a strange thing to say but we have both been incredibly lucky in life. So choosing a charity that is close to our hearts is not as easy as it might be for some.
My grandmother died from cancer when I was very young and I don't have many memories of her. But this does make me want to lean towards a charity raising money to combat this dreadful disease. I also lost my grandfather a few years ago who was suffering with Alzheimer's. This again is another dreadful disease with many worthy charities associated with it that I feel I would like to raise money for.
Ally and I are both very blessed to have three very happy, healthy children between us. This has made us think hard about raising money for one of the many children's charities because although we are very fortunate not to have been touched by the reasons they are trying to fundraise, this is precisely the reason why we should support them.
But more recently, I feel a great affinity to mental health charities for very personal reasons.
So you can see that our decision is not an easy one. And as of yet it has not been made. But Ally and I are meeting on Wednesday and have pledged make our decision. I will report back with the news!
Next decision - write a blog about this adventure!
My lovely old school friend, Carly (who writes a wonderful blog about life as a mum - www.mummysshoes.com) recommended how to get started and here I am!
This is going to be my journal for the next twelves months to document anything and everything! From fundraising schemes to training and all the highs and lows I'm going to encounter, I am going to write about it all! I think it is going to be an incredible motivator (and also cheap therapy!) for me to keep a diary of everything 'Peru'!
So, I hope you enjoy it and will join me on what will hopefully be one of the most incredibly journeys of my life!
I decided to trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
I have always, always wanted to travel the world and my plans in my gap year didn't really go according to plan (long story!). So apart from a few, albeit wonderful, holidays my itchy feet have never been scratched. And now that I'm a Mamma I can't see Fjóla, Nick and I backpacking round the globe! So, I got to thinking as to how I can see the world.
Since starting as a Phoenix Trader four years ago, I've done quite a lot of charity fundraising and have raised a good amount of money. This makes me feel all warm and tingly inside knowing that even though I'm not doing anything life-changing I can still contribute a little bit to some very worthy causes.
So if you put together this warm tingly feeling and the itchy feet you'd probably think that I need to see a doctor! But in fact my little blonde brain went into over-drive and after a bit of surfing on the net I saw that loads of charities offered the chance to fundraise by trekking the Inca Trail. So it turned into a bit of a 'no-brainer' decision - I was going to do it!
The first thing I thought though (apart from the fact I would have to raise a shed-load of sponsorship money!) was that it would be so much more fun and enjoyable to do this trek with a friend.
So I posted a request on Facebook to see if I had any other friends willing to embark on this journey with me. And I got a response from a friend who said she would also love to come on this great adventure with me!
Ally O'Neill!
So here's a little bio about my travelling buddy!
The truth of the matter is that I don't know Ally that well. We only met in March when she joined my Phoenix team but she's one of those people in life that you instantly click with! It's very hard not to like her or smile when she's around. In truth, I think we are very similar. And I think that this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship! (I hope you agree Ally!)
So, that's two decisions made - to do the trek and go with a friend.
Next decision. Which charity to support.
Ally and I have talked quite a lot about this and I've put a lot of thought into it and it's probably the next biggest decision after choosing to do the trek.
This might sound like a strange thing to say but we have both been incredibly lucky in life. So choosing a charity that is close to our hearts is not as easy as it might be for some.
My grandmother died from cancer when I was very young and I don't have many memories of her. But this does make me want to lean towards a charity raising money to combat this dreadful disease. I also lost my grandfather a few years ago who was suffering with Alzheimer's. This again is another dreadful disease with many worthy charities associated with it that I feel I would like to raise money for.
Ally and I are both very blessed to have three very happy, healthy children between us. This has made us think hard about raising money for one of the many children's charities because although we are very fortunate not to have been touched by the reasons they are trying to fundraise, this is precisely the reason why we should support them.
But more recently, I feel a great affinity to mental health charities for very personal reasons.
So you can see that our decision is not an easy one. And as of yet it has not been made. But Ally and I are meeting on Wednesday and have pledged make our decision. I will report back with the news!
Next decision - write a blog about this adventure!
My lovely old school friend, Carly (who writes a wonderful blog about life as a mum - www.mummysshoes.com) recommended how to get started and here I am!
This is going to be my journal for the next twelves months to document anything and everything! From fundraising schemes to training and all the highs and lows I'm going to encounter, I am going to write about it all! I think it is going to be an incredible motivator (and also cheap therapy!) for me to keep a diary of everything 'Peru'!
So, I hope you enjoy it and will join me on what will hopefully be one of the most incredibly journeys of my life!
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