With a new fundraising campaign underway, I've been setting up the spreadsheet behind the scenes that I use to reconcile all monies received by the 2 charities. Money tends comes in to the charities from various sources. The majority is via Virgin Money Giving but amounts are also sent directly to the 2 charities. It's very important to keep an eye on it all so that nothing is missed.
While setting up my reconciliation spreadsheet, I took time to have a look at the amounts raised so far and split them down by each charity that I've raised funds for. As at 6pm on the 29th October, these are as follows:
- St. Benedict's Hospice - £99,421.91
- North of England Children's Cancer Research - £250.00
- The Children's Foundation - £88,029.95
- The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation - £27,525.54
- Total - £215,227.40
Split by geographic area, the amounts raised so far look like this:
- UK - £51,634.00
- USA - £105,717.80
- Australia - £55,126.60
- Europe - £2,749.00 so far
- Total - £215,227.40
Fundraising for the European segment of the run around the world started last week. I'm pleased to report that the charity fund has got off to a flying start thanks to people buying t-shirts and hoodies and various donations including £500 from SOS Group to get the fund rolling.
My own personal fundraising target for the European segment of the run around the world is £50,000. If successful, that means that the overall total (currently at £215,227.40) will burst through the 1/4 of a million barrier and sit at £262,478.40. It's going to take a lot of hard work and generosity to achieve that figure for The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and The Children's Foundation.
The next segment of the run around the world, from Lisbon to Istanbul, is going to be incredibly difficult. There's no doubt in my mind that the bar has been raised after the run across Australia as it was after the run across the USA.
That European segment will require an average of 37 miles of running per day for 100 days. That's quite simply unprecedented for me. As are the logistics of the next run.
I'm convinced that the general public will once again follow the journey with great interest and will hopefully back me and the 2 charities again. That generosity is something that I never have and never will take for granted. It's this generosity that makes a huge difference to terminally ill people and underprivileged children in the region.
Thank you once again if you have sponsored me over the years or bought a t-shirt. There aren't enough words to express how much I, and the 2 charities, are so very grateful for your support.
