It's Official!

We have definitely been accepted on the cycle challenge, and will be going 21st - 30th November 2008! .....Better get those bikes out girls!

We are also really pleased that Alison's friend Olive, has definitely agreed to join us. We will all be meeting for the first time at Alison's fundraising day on 1st December...so watch out for the photos. Caroline will be bringing her homemade bags and Olive will be bringing more goodies to sell on the day, and we are very pleased to hear that Alison already has 5 reflexology bookings which has raised us £25 before we start!

Also Ruth's' Mulled wine & mince pie evenings are off and running, the first being for 7th December, when a phoenix card trader will be present to meet all those Christmas card & gift wrap needs! And a fantastic 10% of all phoenix purchases and orders will be going straight in the pot!

We are all ridiculously excited to have this fantastic opportunity, and excitement is leading to frantic knitting, plotting, making, baking, cycling, sleepless nights and re-decorating! I have even ditched my MP3 when I run and opt instead for mulling over fundraising ideas!

Watch this space for details of our justgiving.com page which will be up & running soon!

right, must go make fliers, bake mince pies, knit i-pod covers, and re-decorate the hall before the 7th.......

on your marks...

....get set....GO!

And we're off! In the lead is Ms Alison McCann who has fully organised (in the time it takes mortals to boil the kettle) a full afternoon of fun frolicking fundraising!

On 1st December at her home (address only disclosed if you know Alison and want to ask her yourself!) she will be having an afternoon of coffee & cakes, with various people there selling all you need for Christmas including homemade jewellery, wooden toys (see www.butterfliesanddragons.co.uk) , educational and craft toys, homemade cards and gift wrap plus a therapist who will give reflexology, Indian head massages and Hopi candle treatments to those who pay and want to add even more delight to the afternoon. About 10% from all sales will be going straight into 'the pot' for women-for-women.

And in hot pursuit is Ms Caroline Spears, who is hoping to raise some dosh at her Halloween party and is also making some homemade bags 'and bits' to pass on to Ms Ruth Scott.......who is STILL furiously knitting things to sell at the Merlin Theatre Christmas fair on 24th November. ( http://www.merlintheatre.co.uk/show.asp?id=420 ) Watch this space for details of Ruth's' mulled wine & mince pie evenings which will be occurring sometime on December.

I would also like to give an honorable mention at this point to SHIRLEY who has volunteered to knit a flock of Easter ducks that hold creme eggs (yum!) for us to sell and to Alison's Mum who is holding a coffee morning for us....and the word on the street is that she can raise £500! Thank you both!

Already F.A.Q's

• How can we help?
• By holding a fundraising event for us, having a boot sale, helping us with our ideas or practical help with the fundraisers or giving us £1....we are grateful for anything and everything.
• 'And what if you don't get accepted on the Cuba cycle challenge?'
• this is unlikely, but in the event then we'll still have fun raising a lot of money for them over the next few months regardless!! Hurrah!

Well here we are.....

A little more or less than three weeks ago I decided to cycle across Cuba, in doing so raising a load of cash for the fantastic charity women-for-women http://www.women-for-women.org/what .

I am a comfort zone chocolate and slippers type of a girl by nature, so what prompted such madness? Not really sure, except I recently managed to run a half marathon which is something of an achievement for a previously registered couch potato such as myself, and seem to have, as a result, decided I can do anything I put my mind to! So when I saw the ad in my weight watchers magazine asking for applicants I leaped....and thought I'd take a couple of people along for the ride!

Alison & Caroline (more on them later) both decided, within about 24 hours, that they were equal to the task, and agreed to join me on said challenge. This is no mean fit as Caroline will, I'm sure freely admit her fitness has lapsed somewhat and Alison recently gave birth to her third child, and yet already fundraising events are organised and bikes are purchased on which they can train! Subsequently we have also been joined by another of Alison's friends. I am immensely grateful to have such good but maybe slightly bonkers friends as these.

So what challenge lays ahead?.....

• Well between the four of us we have promised to raise at least £12,000 by September 2008. This Blog will mainly document the fun/stress/laughter and tears involved in this process!
• November '08 we will be cycling 350km across Cuba!
• Oh yes, and we still are not sure if we have been accepted to do this yet.....hold your breath everyone!

A Little bit about us.....

• I am Ruth, mum to Sam (4) and Jack (2.5). When I was 36 weeks pregnant with Jack I developed the serious liver condition, Obstetric cholestasis, Jack had to be induced at 37 weeks to basically stop my own body killing him. I forever indebted to the scientists and medics who identified this condition and gave me my gorgeous son. Hence my desire to support women-for-women. I live in Frome, Somerset with husband Dougal and the boys, and work part time as a health visitor. In my spare time I run, knit, and attempt DIY and am currently learning to sign. My current fundraising effort is being concentrated on knitting baby hats to sell at the Merlin Theatre Christmas fair on 24th November.

• Caroline and I went to secondary school together. After a slightly rocky start to our friendship it became sealed spending many evenings and weekends wandering around west Sussex in our later teens. Now an Occupational Therapist Caz lives in west Sussex with her best mate Vez and their dog. Caz is a scout leader, and now avid cyclist on her new bike!

• Alison & I met in NCT antenatal classes is surrey, when we were both expecting our first children, Sam & Abby who turned four in August. Now with five small infants between us we have supported each other through out the joys and trials of parenting, and juggling life as working mums. Alison lives in Surrey with her other half Mike, Abby, Millie (2) and Ben (3 months). She also likes to knit and is something of an e-bay queen. Watch this spot for more details of her upcoming fundraising ladies day....