Redhill Rocks

Tickets booked for my first ever festival.  OK its not Glastonbury and we will be camping over in the caravan - but I don't do tents or porta loos.  Really looking forward to it; some good local bands on show and also an AC/DC tribute and a Queen tribute.  Sounds like a great weekend and only  half an hour from home!

Car boot on a sunny Sunday

Getting up at 5:30am on a Sunday is hard.  Persuading my lovely husband to get up at 5:30am on a Sunday is even harder!

As part of my attempt to raised £1,000 for pancreatic cancer research, we stood at Quorn car boot sale today.  Many items had been generously donated by family and colleagues (thank you to everyone who found things to donate).

I have done this several times before and this was, by far and away, the most enjoyable.  Paul (hubby)was on great form - I have never heard so many boomerang jokes in my life before - and all to get 10p for the item in question!  Many thanks to him as he has to put up with a lot so that I can complete my list.

What never ceases to amaze me is how little people are prepared to pay for items.  I had things that I know (because of my addiction to charity shops) that you would expect to pay £3 or £4 for in such an establishment, and it was difficult to persuade people to part with 50p.

On the other hand there were some lovely people who were refusing to take their change or were paying more than I asked for things because of our cause.  One young woman told me that her father had in fact died from pancreatic cancer and there was a general feeling from people that we need to put more money into research - my thought exactly!

The most expensive items I sold were a Manchester United shirt and a Jordan F1 fleece, both donated by Marilyn, a work colleague and both achieving £5.

In the end we raised £77.30 today which I am really pleased with and brings my total up to £117 - still a long way to go but we will get there.

STOP PRESS - Just sold all the remaining stuff on ebay for £15 for a job lot - brings the total raised to £132.30.

Firewalk - Success!

I did it!  Just got back from my fire walk.  Thank you to Scott Bell (World Record Holder) and UK Fire walk for making this possible.  The evening started watching others carrying out a "glass walk" and then in to an hour's seminar on fire walking   to prepare me and the other brave souls for what was to happen.  I was strangely nervous having wanted to do this for years.  The choice of music, as I took my place at the head of the 600 degree burning pile of coals, was a song  I actually love, Firestarter by The Prodigy.  And then I was off; following the instructions perfectly, positive thoughts, brisk pace and wipe your feet at the end.  Then it was all over.  

It was hotter than I had expected. As I sit here now there is a faint sense of a glow, almost like a touch of sunburn on the soles of my feet.  But I'm glad I did it!

Car Boot - Raising Money for Pancreatic Cancer Research

As you will know by now, one of my 50 before 50 is to raise £1,000 for pancreatic cancer research.  This is a charity I have supported since a work colleague died from this terrible and deadly disease.  More research is needed to aid earlier detection and improve survival rates but of course that needs to be funded. 

I  have decided to have a stall at our local car boot in Quorn and I am currently planning for this to be on 22nd June (weather permitting - it may need to be postponed to a later date to give me the best chance of selling my stuff with a bigger crowd). All takings will go to the charity.

I am making a plea, therefore, for you to either come to the car boot and buy something (I'll keep you posted via this blog to confirm the date) or make a donation, or, if you know me and live near enough, to donate something I can sell.  One or two work colleagues and my lovely sister have already pledged items and I am busy sorting out the loft but the more stuff I have the more I can raise.

So, many thanks in anticipation of your generosity.