Monday 8 September 2014

Final total for the run across Australia

I'm very happy to report that the final total raised for the run across Australia in aid of The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and The Children's Foundation is £55,126.60. If you made a donation then, on behalf of the 2 charities, thank you so much for your amazing generosity. All of the messages and donations made can be viewed at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rungeordierun.

Since I began fundraising in 1994, a grand total of £212,478.40 has been raised for those charities named below:

2013 - £26,001.04 (The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation)
2013 - £29,125.56 (The Children's Foundation
2011 - £50,638.91 (St Benedict's Hospice)
2011 - £55,078.89 (The Children's Foundation)
2008 - £2,601 (The Children's Foundation)
2007 - £34,108 (St. Benedict's Hospice)
2005 - £1,477 (St. Benedict's Hospice)
2004 - £1,228 (St. Benedict's Hospice)
2003 - £4,140 (St. Benedict's Hospice)
2002 - £1,560 (St. Benedict's Hospice)
2001 - £2,470 (St. Benedict's Hospice)
1999 - £1,650 (St. Benedict's Hospice)
1998 - £250 (St. Benedict's Hospice)
1997 - £1,000 (St. Benedict's Hospice)
1996 - £500 (St. Benedict's Hospice)
1995 - £250 (North of England Children's Cancer Research)
1995 - £200 (St. Benedict's Hospice)
1994 - £200 (St. Benedict's Hospice)

I find that sum of money quite staggering and I know that my parents, had they still been alive to witness my fundraising events, would have been incredibly proud.

Over the years, I've seen first hand just how much of a difference your donations make to the various charities. My Mam was a patient at St Benedict's Hospice. She saw out her final days there as she lost her battle with cancer. The palliative care that she received from the Hospice meant that she had as comfortable and dignified as possible end to her life.

I've been lucky enough to see some of the world leading cancer treatment technology funded by the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. You can read more about the ImageStream Imaging Flow Cytometer or the ultra-compact ABT Molecular Imaging Biomarker Generator as well other projects funded by the charity here.

I sit on the Regional Small Grants Panel at The Children's Foundation. That panel has funded many projects in the local community over recent years. This is just the tip of the iceberg, however as the charity funds many other initiatives whose aim is the health, happiness and safety of children in the region. You can read more about that here. I know that the charity have some ambitious plans for the future and I will be learning more about that next month.   

I'll never be able to thank everyone who has donated so far in person. However, I like to think that over the years I have thanked as many people as I possibly could. The kind support shown towards my events is something that I never take for granted.

If you have supported my events and the various charities in the past, then you have done an amazingly kind thing. You really should be very proud of yourself for helping to make a real difference to the well being of people in the North East of England. Once again, thank you so much for your kind support.