3 Mad Months Fundraising Challenge

Between June and September 2010 Julie Johnson, Leanne Brennan and Neil Longridge embarked upon a total of 2 half marathons, 2 open water swims, 2 driveway cake sales, 1 Name the Teddy and 1 How Many Sweets in the Jar.

The trio faced a number of challenges along the way, including the last minute cancellation of the Great Scottish Swim, but managed to pull through and raise in excess of £1,000 for NOAH.

Here is Julie's account of their efforts:

How it all began

This all started with a conversation between myself and Leanne about trying to get a little fitter and trying to run 5k in a nearby event. After completing the 5k I wanted to do more, maybe a half marathon, Leanne was reluctant but wanted to try an open water swim. We struck a deal I would swim a mile in open water if she ran a half marathon!

My partner Neil agreed to help and join us for the swim and was the first to leap into action where the training was concerned, as an ex international swimmer for Scotland (many years ago) he relished the challenge of getting back in the pool and swimming for the first time in open water. Leanne and I followed his example but we had to run and swim or at least try to!

The planning

We decided that whilst doing this we might as well try to raise some money for charity and we discussed many ideas. After a little research I was a little disappointed to find that with some of the bigger charitable organisations, funds were lost in administration costs etc. I decided a local charity was a better option, Neil and I had heard about NOAH through our local parish St Joseph's. I went to see Fr John McArdle who thought NOAH was an excellent cause, we put the idea to Leanne and the idea was sold to us all after we checked out the website and learned about NOAH's aims and objectives. I made the phone call to NOAH and Leanne and I met up with Jim O'Connor to find out more. Fr John allowed us to canvass sponsors after mass, use the church notice boards and advertise our cause in the parish news letter which was a great help!

To help our sponsorship funds we thought a raffle, name the teddy and how many sweets in the jar might generate some extra cash. I went out to buy two cuddly toys and Leanne was in charge of buying and filling a large jar with sweets. We left Neil in charge of putting together and printing some sponsor forms as well as setting up the JustGiving page.

Off to a great start

Unfortunately we had to abandon the idea of the raffle as after sending out over thirty appeal letters for raffle prizes (or sponsorship) to local companies we only received two replies and only one of them was a positive.

However we had a Eureka idea! Admittedly a little last minute but we decided to have a cake sale on the drive way on carnival day, a full day of baking with a very large NOAH sign on the drive raised £252.40, a great start to our fund! The following week with Fr John's approval we were canvassing support after mass - £127 pledged!

Two half marathons and one more cake sale

The St Albans half marathon took place on Sunday 13th June. Friends and family turned out for support and after a nervous start our first event was completed, very hard, very tired but one event down and two to go!

Neil and I had our annual leave booked in July which meant a two week holiday would end with a half marathon! Our hotel was selected by the quality of the gym over everything else and most days were started with a session on the treadmill! When we returned Leanne had been ill so was unable to keep me company at the Milton Keynes half so I did it alone with Leanne as my number one supporter, she is still looking at dates to make up the half marathon missed. Even harder than St Albans but another completed!

After the success of our cake sale we collected the NOAH signs and another cake making day was under way for a sale on the day of the Luton Mela another £153.76 was added to our total.

The swims

Swimming training was well under way and we were all looking forward to our trip to Scotland, we had to beg, steal and borrow wetsuits, accommodation was arranged and time off work booked. Only a few days before we were due to travel to Scotland we heard that the swim was postponed and later cancelled due to unsafe levels of blue green algae in the water. Neil and I managed to book ourselves on to a swim in Windsor on the same date.

The swim was exceptionally difficult as it was the first time Neil and I had wore a wet suit and been in open water. The wetsuits were very restrictive and both of us struggled to breathe, almost about to give up in the midst of approximately 200 swimmers we found each other and encouraged each other to finish, it was the thought of NOAH that kept us going otherwise we would have got out and give up! We came in last but another challenge done!!!

Leanne completed her swim later in September in Middlesex and in a much more stylish way than us with Neil and I cheering her on! That is the end of my open water swimming career but Neil wants to prove to himself that he can do better so watch this space!

September 2010 - Tying up loose ends

So that leaves Leanne with a half marathon to do which I have promised to do with her sometime soon and a little sponsorship money left to collect, a few more teddy names to sell along with a few more guesses on the sweets and our friends and family relieved that we are not going to ask them for any more money!!! Our JustGiving website has been closed with a promise that the funds raised were being sent direct to NOAH - we are over the £1000 mark in total!!! Not so bad for a mad three months!!! And to add to the madness we are already thinking about a new challenge for next year!!!

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