It's for Charity! (Day 10)

Hi folks, thanks so much for logging into my blog again. There's some pretty hardcore followers out there and I'm super impressed that you're still reading on despite the slightly haphazard leaping from one topic to another, or maybe that's what you enjoy? Either way, it's pretty much a reflection of my life. As an example, this morning I had a business networking meeting at Dunston Hall and then back to the office to answer a mass of emails - all very civilised and professional. This afternoon, once I picked my Daughter up from Nursery, we had a fun session in the garden with the new water pistols and badminton set I'd bought! Then finally this evening, I've played chef for us three and my lovely Sister and her boyfriend (who are back to visit for a few days) and whilst the little one is being bathed and having a story read by her Auntie I'm writing this. The rest of the evening will mostly be spent doing the last minute prep for a charity event that we (me and my team at Vision Odyssey) have arranged for this coming Saturday! Variety is the spice of life and all that!

This tenuous link hooks me nicely into my theme for today, which is charity events. Do you yourselves get involved in any regular events? Do you always try and sponsor friends and family when they're doing something? Do you donate money monthly to a specific charity? Perhaps you give to different charities when you feel inclined or maybe you never give to charity as you are fearful that the money never reaches the right people? There's also a chance that you feel pressured to give to so many and that you feel bombarded by calls and begging letters for you to support an array of different causes. I know I feel obliged sometimes to give more when I already donate regularly and I wonder often where 'all' of the money raised actually goes but I can't offer anymore than doing my bit to raise money and awareness where I can so I have to block out these thoughts and do what I do, besides it's so hard to say no when it's for those in need, isn't it? Or perhaps I'm just a sucker, as some might tell me...

Personally I don't think it's about being a fool and as soon as I'm in a position to give a good percentage of my earnings to charity I will be doing just that. In fact I have, in my list of goals, some ambitions to set up a charity of my own some day and then I'll know where all the money goes at least! Early thoughts were a school in Cambodia after my visit there and my heartstrings being seriously tugged by the poverty and corruption everywhere. Since then I wonder whether something closer to home would be better as I'm constantly being educated as to how people here in the UK struggle in so many different ways. There are countless amounts of people in need on this planet making it is so hard to know where to start and frankly at this point in my life I'm not in a position to start anything else just yet. Therefore, I try my hardest to support a variety of charities as often as I can and in many different ways...

Over more recent years I have been a part of raising some pretty substantial money for various Cancer charities, ACC Research (to support Vicky, as mentioned in an earlier blog), Cancer Research and Macmillan. All absolutely tremendous charities and ones that I will always support. I've run the Race for Life several times, organised our own National cake bake for ACC, held a bowling championship, completed the Three Peaks Challenge and much more. This year I have entered the Mucky Races run in October to raise money for Dereham Cancer Care with a team of girls from the village I live in. Which reminds me, I really need to get training!! 

Before I finish I just want to touch on the event that we've arranged that's coming up this weekend. It is in support of our (Vision Odyssey's) Charity of The Year, The Benjamin Foundation. For those of you that don't know they are a tremendous local Norfolk based charity offering support for vulnerable people, homing youngsters that might otherwise be homeless until they get themselves back onto their feet and offering support to help them back into education or work in the meantime. These are just a couple of so many things that they do as an organisation and I'd need a whole blog to cover everything they accomplish, so for now here's a link to their website for you to read more. The actual event is a charity social media bar trail in norwich on Saturday night  (#NorwichBarTrail) with the intention of raising awareness and money for TBF. So, if you're local and at a loose end on the 20th why not come to meet some of us and support the cause too? You can pick up an individual ticket for £5 or a team ticket (for up to six) for £20. You just need to order them online and then collect your wristband and a trail info sheet from 7pm at The Birdcage pub and then mosey around the trail at your leisure posing pics and things from the prompts on the sheet to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram as you go. Simple and fun, plus The Birdcage are offering a Vision Odyssey cocktail so why wouldn't you want to come along?!