Christmas came slightly early on December 23rd as £1,150 was added to the charity fund total in a little over 60 minutes. I was just in the middle of starting/finishing my Christmas shopping in the Metrocentre when the emails from justgiving.com came through on my phone.
First up was a £50 order for Run Geordie Run t-shirts from Paul Robinson. He ordered one for himself and a couple for his niece and nephew in the USA (New Jersey). They are going to spread the word of the run stateside while wearing the t-shirts! Brilliant!
Next up was a £100 pledge from Geoff Atkinson with the message "Good luck with your monster run! I may have to come out and see it with my own eyes when you are passing through Pennsylvania".
At the time, these 2 donations put the charity fund up to £4,660. I was very pleased with that total. Especially given that this time last year I wrote "The fundraising target is a very ambitious £50,000. At the time of writing there is £1395 worth of pledges on the board. That's not bad at all given that the run is still over 2 years away! I'd like to think that by the end of 2009 that figure will have nudged close to £5000.".
Well at £4,660 you can safely say that the figure did indeed nudge close to £5,000."
But we don't want to give you that!" as Mr Tarrant would say!!!!
Fast forward an hour in the Metrocentre and you'd find me knee deep in lingerie. For the missus of course! I got another couple of emails on my phone and I couldn't quite take the words in quick enough. I couldn't quite believe what I was reading! The 2 emails were from The Northern Rock Foundation notifying me that my application for the matching of some of this year's donations had been successful! In fact the application had been very successful and they had sent both St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation a cheque for £500 each.
"WAHOOOOO!!!" I exclaimed waving my iPhone in one hand and a matching Miranda blue bra and thong set in the other!!! (as you do!).
You should have seen the dirty looks I got from the nearby shoppers! Although the moment flashed by in an instant, I can recall countless stunned faces with accusing, squinted eyes fixed right in my direction.
Thinking back, my celebrations were not unlike the moment Ebenezer Scrooge woke up on Christmas morning with the realisation that he is still alive: "I don't know what to do!'' cried Scrooge, laughing and crying in the same breath. ``I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to every-body! A happy New Year to all the world! Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!''.
Needless to say, I left the shop rather hastily and, thanks to the Northern Rock Foundation, Mrs Allison won't be getting any undies for Christmas this year! The fact that the 2 charities will be receiving £1000 more than makes up for it though!
But seriously! On behalf of St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation I'd like to sincerely thank, not only the Northern Rock Foundation, but also every single individual who has contributed so far to the charity fund. It currently stands at £5,660. I'd like to think that, by next Christmas, the fund will have nudged close to £15,000. It's an ambitious target but this is a big, nay massive, run and it needs a massive fundraising target!
Finally, while we're in the Christmas mood, I'll leave you with another line from Dickens' A Christmas Carol - "And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!".
At the time, these 2 donations put the charity fund up to £4,660. I was very pleased with that total. Especially given that this time last year I wrote "The fundraising target is a very ambitious £50,000. At the time of writing there is £1395 worth of pledges on the board. That's not bad at all given that the run is still over 2 years away! I'd like to think that by the end of 2009 that figure will have nudged close to £5000.".
Well at £4,660 you can safely say that the figure did indeed nudge close to £5,000."
But we don't want to give you that!" as Mr Tarrant would say!!!!
Fast forward an hour in the Metrocentre and you'd find me knee deep in lingerie. For the missus of course! I got another couple of emails on my phone and I couldn't quite take the words in quick enough. I couldn't quite believe what I was reading! The 2 emails were from The Northern Rock Foundation notifying me that my application for the matching of some of this year's donations had been successful! In fact the application had been very successful and they had sent both St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation a cheque for £500 each."WAHOOOOO!!!" I exclaimed waving my iPhone in one hand and a matching Miranda blue bra and thong set in the other!!! (as you do!).
You should have seen the dirty looks I got from the nearby shoppers! Although the moment flashed by in an instant, I can recall countless stunned faces with accusing, squinted eyes fixed right in my direction.
Thinking back, my celebrations were not unlike the moment Ebenezer Scrooge woke up on Christmas morning with the realisation that he is still alive: "I don't know what to do!'' cried Scrooge, laughing and crying in the same breath. ``I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to every-body! A happy New Year to all the world! Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!''.
Needless to say, I left the shop rather hastily and, thanks to the Northern Rock Foundation, Mrs Allison won't be getting any undies for Christmas this year! The fact that the 2 charities will be receiving £1000 more than makes up for it though!
But seriously! On behalf of St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation I'd like to sincerely thank, not only the Northern Rock Foundation, but also every single individual who has contributed so far to the charity fund. It currently stands at £5,660. I'd like to think that, by next Christmas, the fund will have nudged close to £15,000. It's an ambitious target but this is a big, nay massive, run and it needs a massive fundraising target!
Finally, while we're in the Christmas mood, I'll leave you with another line from Dickens' A Christmas Carol - "And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!".
