[Basil is a Gooner]

Good Morning Everyone

Another week comes to an end, we hope yours has been an enjoyable one?

Injury: Paul's elbow is holding out well but still gives some discomfort which Paul has found more annoying than anything else, no complaints from him whatsoever.

Training: Training is still on track and we have heard from Russel at RGK that the delivery of the chair and spares etc is imminent, which has got Paul itching (no he hasn't got a rash) and raring to get on the road again! Hopefully the weather will be kind to him, if not he'll just get wet and cold and all those things that come with that kind of weather, all in a days training he says.

Unfortunately donations to the just giving page have come to halt, so if you can spread the word we would be grateful, we have a few pledges that will take the total to over £3,100 so that's not far off the £5,000 we'd like to reach before Christmas.

Now for some extremely good and surprising news! On Friday evening Paul received a call from 'The News', a local Portsmouth paper. Paul has been informed that he has been short listed for a personal achievement award for last April's challenge in which you all know he completed 105 miles in his chair in aid of the Centrepoint youth homeless. The awards evening takes place on Paul's 53rd birthday, Monday 28th November 2011 at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth. I am sure you will join with me and agree that being short listed is well deserved and we congratulate Paul for this. Paul has always emphasised that he does his fundraising because he enjoys it, awards are the last thing on his mind....I for one hope he does win this award as it shows that people have recognised the good work he does and that he thinks of others ahead of his own personal problems. WELL DONE PAUL!


We are close to completing sponsorship and are only looking for sponsorship for the Hotels in Haslemere on the Wednesday and on the Friday night near Regents Park, so if anyone would like to help with these please do get in touch.

We are also looking for a sponsor or sponsors for the evening meals at the first 2 hotels Sunday and Monday evenings, we would be very grateful indeed if you or someone could help, we anticipate the cost for evening meals to be in the region of £300 for all eight of us for the 2 nights.

Pentagon Commercials (Mercedes-Benz) are the sponsors for our support vehicle and we are truly grateful for their support for the 2nd year running. Pentagon commercials (Mercedes-Benz) supply quality new and used Vans and trucks with exceptional levels of customer care throughout. You can find Pentagon commercials Mercedes-Benz at: Fareham, Andover, Poole, Southampton, and Portsmouth. Our sponsor and contact is the Fareham branch Tel: 01329286224. All branches give the same unrivalled service so for your trucks and commercial vans contact Pentagon Commercials. www.trucks.pentagonmercedes-benz.co.uk Pentagon Commercials Mercedes-Benz are part of the Ridgeway group www.ridgeway.co.uk

The ferry crossing voucher to the Isle of Wight for a car plus 4 people is still up for grabs, just make a bid in the auction which will end on Friday 25th November, you never know you could be the winner.

Latest bid on the Nikon camera (Yesterday) is now up to £360, there's still plenty of time to bid so please go for it, remember it's for a fantastic cause!


If you, anyone else or a company you may know would like to sponsor any of the above then please let us know, we would be extremely grateful indeed.

Please, please ask you friends and colleagues to visit the just giving page today, as tomorrow never comes, not only does it boosts Paul's morale it also gives hope to those children who desperately need your help. Bucket collecting has been going really well and the fundraising total has risen to £2,675.81. to date, over halfway to the £5,000 mark, which we hope to reach before Christmas!

Please visit to www.justgiving.com/challenge200 and for daily chit chat updates please visit www.twitter.com/challenge200


Thank you for your continued and kind support!


Best Wishes


Jane, Paul and Support Crew

[Basil is a Gooner]

Good Morning Everyone

With November behind us the weather has clearly changed with only 23 days 'til Christmas to go!

Injury News: Paul's elbow is holding out very well, new exercises seem to be working, we will keep you posted.

Training: Training has gone well as always, there will be a change in the training regime now that 'THE WHEELCHAIR OF HOPE' has arrived, yes we took delivery of the chair yesterday, now training will become more intense and lonely on some occasions as Paul hits the road.

New Sponsors: We welcome new sponsors, Glover and Howe of Colchester, Essex. Glover and Howe have made a substantial donation and are therefore officially sponsors of Challenge 200, we would like to welcome them onboard 'THE WHEELCHAIR OF HOPE' and sincerely thank them for the generous donation to Challenge 200 in aid of Save the Children.
Glover & Howe have been Insurance providers of Photographic and Camera, Motor, Home and Commercial for 40 years!!

Glover & Howe have specialised in Photographic and Camera Equipment Insurance Cover for Professional, Semi Professional and Amateur Photographers for 40 years, and they aim to deal with all their clients in a friendly and efficient manner.

Cover is available whether working from home, in a studio, or within the specified territorial limits

Type of equipment they cover - Any make or type of Photographic and Camera or Associated Equipment specified and owned by you – they can also insure your Laptop, Computer, Digital Camera, Camcorder, Binoculars, Projectors, etc.

Please visit the Glover and Howe website for more details on all of the above and more. www.gloverhowe.com or call Colchester 01206 814500. You can also write to them at 12 Chapel Street North, Colchester, Essex, CO2 7AT.Email: insurance@gloverhowe.co.uk

Good News: As we mentioned in last weeks update, Paul was nominated and short listed for the Portsmouth News 'We Can Do It' awards, held at the New Theatre Royal on Monday 28th November. We are proud and delighted to announce that Paul was the winner of the Personal Achievement Award, he was up against some very tough nominees so it was a good end to his 53rd birthday, thank you to all those who came along to support him!

Nice Donation: We also recieved a donation of £100 from June and Ken Barsley, so we would like to thank them both for such a generosity and kind support.

Looking for Sponsors: We are still looking for a sponsor or sponsors for breakfasts and evening meals at the first 2 hotels on Sunday and Monday evenings, we would be very grateful indeed if you or someone could help, we anticipate the cost for breakfast and evening meals to be in the region of £300 for all eight of us for the 2 nights.


The ferry crossing voucher to the Isle of Wight for a car plus 4 people is still up for grabs, just make a bid in the auction which will now end at the end of January 2012, you never know you could be the winner.

Latest bid on the Nikon camera remains at £399.99, there's still plenty of time to bid so please go for it, remember it's for a fantastic cause!

If you, anyone else or a company you may know would like to sponsor any of the above then please let us know, we would be extremely grateful indeed.

Please, please ask you friends and colleagues to visit the just giving page today, as tomorrow never comes, not only does it boosts Paul's morale it also gives hope to those children who desperately need your help. Bucket collecting has been going really well and the fundraising total has risen to £3,860.00. to date, just short of the £5,000 mark, which we hope to reach before Christmas!

Please visit to www.justgiving.com/challenge200 and for daily chit chat updates please visit www.twitter.com/challenge200


Thank you for your continued and kind support!


Best Wishes


Jane, Paul and Support Crew

[Basil is a Gooner]

Good Morning Everyone, its lovely and sunny here in Portsmouth but very cold, Paul is getting ready to go training in the chair.

Injury News: Nothing to report!

Training: Paul has been in the chair all week, I think we're going to have to prise him out of it by the time the challenge comes to an end. This week Paul started on the track at the Mountbatten Centre and has progressed to road training, completing over 4 miles in 60 mph winds yesterday, he came in from the wind, rain and cold with a smile on his face saying, 'all the 6 months in the gym seems to have paid off'...so he's a happy man!

New Sponsors: Shortly after sending out last weeks news letter the postman arrived, we opened a letter that contained a huge cheque from a company called Brewers, because of the size of the donation Brewers are now officially a sponsor of Challenge 200 and we would like to thank them for their kind generosity and welcome them aboard 'THE WHEELCHAIR OF HOPE'.

About Brewers:
Brewers offer an extensive range of services to the professional decorator - large and small - it has been a cornerstone of Brewers reputation since the company was founded over 100 years ago in 1904.

As the country’s largest independent merchant they stock and supply all brands of paint, wallpaper and a vast array of accessories and sundries too; if you are after a product that they don’t normally stock they will always do their best to source it for you.

Because Brewers started life supplying trade decorators, they have forged close links with all the major suppliers and built up a vast wealth of experience, which is freely available to all customers. Backed by an extensive library of product information you’ll find Brewers commitment to the decorator is second to none. To find your local Brewers store please visit www.brewers.co.uk Thank you.

Good News: We have secured complimentary breakfasts at Premier Inn, Christchurch, so that is a big help.

Other News: We attach a photo of Paul with his personal achievement award, the family and some support crew at the Portsmouth News Awards.

Looking for Sponsors: We are still looking for a sponsor or sponsors for breakfasts and evening meals at the first 2 hotels on Sunday and Monday evenings, we would be very grateful indeed if you or someone could help, we anticipate the cost for breakfast and evening meals to be in the region of £300 for all eight of us for the 2 nights.

Important news: We are still looking for accommodation near Regents Park for Friday 20th April 2012, anyone who can help please get in touch. Thank you.

If you, anyone else or a company you may know would like to sponsor any of the above then please let us know, we would be extremely grateful indeed.

The ferry crossing voucher to the Isle of Wight for a car plus 4 people is still up for grabs, just make a bid in the auction which will now end at the end of January 2012, you never know you could be the winner.

Latest bid on the Nikon camera remains at £399.99, the model of this camera is the new Nikon 1 and is worth £550, there is just one week left until the auction ends, remember it's for a fantastic cause, so go crazy and bid a huge amount!

Please, please ask you friends and colleagues to visit the just giving page today, as tomorrow never comes, not only does it boosts Paul's morale it also gives hope to those children who desperately need your help. Bucket collecting has been going really well and the fundraising total has risen to £4,960.00. to date, just short of the £5,000 mark, which we hope to reach before Christmas!

Note: The above total is without the donations and pledges already made but not paid, we estimate that we have reached just over £6,000. Thank you for your generosity, please continue to spread the word.

Please visit to www.justgiving.com/challenge200 and for daily chit chat updates please visit www.twitter.com/challenge200


Thank you for your continued and kind support!


Best Wishes


Jane, Paul and Support Crew

[Basil is a Gooner]

Good Morning Everyone

The weather has been wet and wild here in Portsmouth but we've also had the sun as well, a real mixed bag all week.

Injury News: Nothing to report.

Training: Paul started on the hills this week, which now puts him 2 weeks ahead of schedule, training in the wind and rain with gusts of up to 60mph and taking on Portsdown hill, the longest incline hill in this area, he says he has enjoyed himself although it's been hard! Yesterday Paul has a very close encounter with a car, which drove out of a driveway without caution, good job he was on the ball, he managed to stop within 6 inches of the vehicle. The lady concerned was very apologetic, but with no harm done Paul just accepted the apology and went about his business.

New Sponsors: No new sponsors to date.
Nice Donation: A kind and generous lady has donated £100 towards food and accommodation, we thank you very much, you know who you are and so do we!!

Looking for Sponsors: We are still looking for a sponsor or sponsors for breakfasts and evening meals at the first 2 hotels on Sunday and Monday evenings, we would be very grateful indeed if you or someone could help, we anticipate the cost for breakfast and evening meals to be in the region of £300 for all eight of us for the 2 nights.


The ferry crossing voucher to the Isle of Wight for a car plus 4 people is still up for grabs, just make a bid in the auction which will now end at the end of January 2012, you never know you could be the winner.

The Nikon Camera, model J1 is still up for grabs, the current highest bid is £399.99 the camera is worth £550 but at least a thousand for Save the Children charity ha ha. The auction ends at midnight tonight, Friday 16th December 2011, so if there is anyone out there who wants to go mad for Christmas this is the ideal gift to go mad on and it's for a great cause!


Please, please ask you friends and colleagues to visit the just giving page today, as tomorrow never comes, not only does it boosts Paul's morale it also gives hope to those children who desperately need your help. Bucket collecting has been going really well and the fundraising total has risen to £5,309.98. So we have now smashed through the £5,000 target and by Christmas we have a guaranteed £399.99 to add to that total! We also have around £600 to collect from pledges so we're well on the way to the £50,000 target, thanks to you and people like you.

Please Note:

We are forever mindful that this fundraising is not about Paul or this challenge, Paul wouldn't want it that way. There are other individuals and groups committed to raising funds for Save the Children and they are doing just as good a job in their quest to raise thousands of pounds. Ultimately the whole fundraising venture is about Save the Children and about the children they help or have helped, in the past, present and future. Paul is pleased that he can be just a small part in helping out, he remains forever grateful for your support and for the support of others, we ask that you don't forget the other individuals and groups who are playing a major part in this year's charity fundraiser and of course please don't forget the Save the Children charity staff who do such a fantastic job in this country and around the world!

Next and final update of 2011 will be Wednesday 21st December.

Please visit to www.justgiving.com/challenge200 and for daily chit chat updates please visit www.twitter.com/challenge200


Thank you for your continued and kind support!


Best Wishes


Jane, Paul and Support Crew

[Basil is a Gooner]

Good Morning Everyone - Final update of 2011.

Well we are now in the Christmas mood and we hope you are to!

Injury News: All clear.

Training: Training this week started in torrential rain, I couldn't believe it when Paul insisted in going out in it but because we can't predict what the weather will be like during the challenge I suppose it is necessary. Tuesday was much the same but with more rain and increased winds, Paul took on Portsdown hill to see how the he and the chair could handle the conditions, needless to say he conquered the both.

New Sponsors: No new sponsors to date.

Looking for Sponsors: We are still looking for a sponsor or sponsors for breakfasts and evening meals at the first 2 hotels on Sunday and Monday evenings, we would be very grateful indeed if you or someone could help, we anticipate the cost for breakfast and evening meals to be in the region of £300 for all eight of us for the 2 nights. We are still looking for a hotel on the Friday night.


The ferry crossing voucher to the Isle of Wight for a car plus 4 people is still up for grabs, just make a bid in the auction which will now end at the end of January 2012, you never know you could be the winner.

The Nikon Camera was won by Franziska Empl, Franziska told us that she had been looking into cameras and had decided on the Nikon J1. Franziska made a winning bid of £440 just 2 minutes to midnight on the 16th. Thank you Franziska, your generous bid will help the charity and the children they support.

Please, please ask you friends and colleagues to visit the just giving page today, as tomorrow never comes, not only does it boosts Paul's morale it also gives hope to those children who desperately need your help. Bucket collecting has been going really well and the fundraising total has risen to £5,750.00. So we have now smashed through the £5,000 target and now well on our way to £6,000! We also have around £600 to collect from pledges so we're on the way to the £50,000 target, thanks to you and people like you.

Please Note:

We at Challenge 200 would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful and Prosperous 2012, we hope the New Year brings with it new hope to all, especially to the Save the Children!


Please visit to www.justgiving.com/challenge200 and for daily chit chat updates please visit www.twitter.com/challenge200


Thank you for your continued and kind support!


Best Wishes


Jane, Paul and Support Crew

[Basil is a Gooner]

Good Afternoon Everyone and welcome to the First update of 2012. We would like to wish you all a happy new year and hope 2012 is kind to you all!


Training: Paul completed his longest training run on boxing day, a distance of 14.5 miles in very cold and windy conditions. Unfortunately he developed a head cold on the 27th of December, which lasted until 1st January so you can imagine we had a very frustrated man for a week or so. On the 4th of January, with the cold completely cleared up, Paul completed his first training session of 2012, which was supposed to be just over flat surfaces and an easy run but Paul being Paul forgot what we discussed and went for a 8.6 mile hill training session, which included Portsdown Hill the longest and steepest incline of his training sessions. The result of the training session was very positive so yesterday he took on a 10.8 mile hill training session in very high winds, he was passed by a large hedge and some very large branches going in the opposite direction and found that quite amusing!

This afternoon he is off on a fast and flat training session for a few hours with his training partner, Neil, so that will make a change from going on the lonely and tough sessions up and down hills. There are only 6.5 weeks left until the challenge and the high calorie intake will begin next week along with harder and longer training sessions, something Paul is relishing, better him than me ha ha!

Just to put things into perspective, although Paul had trained very hard in the gym from June until December, his muscles are being used in a very different way, the pushing motion on the wheels cannot be replicated in the gym so at first things are a bit difficult. He is now well adjusted and as mentioned in one of our earlier updates he is 2 weeks ahead of schedule, despite losing a week to a head cold.

New Sponsors: No new sponsors to date.

Looking for Sponsors: We are still looking for a hotel on the Friday night, can you or anyone you know help?


The ferry crossing voucher to the Isle of Wight for a car plus 4 people is still up for grabs, just make a bid in the auction which will now end at the end of January 2012, you never know you could be the winner.


IMPORTANT NOTICE:

We are pleased to announce that a friend of ours is organising a charity Valentine's Ball for Challenge 200 in aid of Save the Children, Heather is very experienced at these things and the ball promises to be amazing!

The ball is being held on Tuesday 14th February 2012 at the Marriotts Hotel Portsmouth, just off the M27 Jnc 12. The cost to you is just £60 per head for a 6 course meal including wine, that is a fantastic bargain. There will be great entertainment a raffle and an auction, we have attended a number of these balls in the past and have been impressed every time. If you wish to attend please email us back ASAP, there are tables of 10 and it would be great to fill a couple with our friends. Some of the crew will be there as well so you'll have an opportunity to meet them and Paul.

Heather can arrange a discount on accommodation should you require a room for the night and the best thing about it is that you only have to make it to the lift ha ha, Dress Back tie!

If you are a company that would like to book a table you will be in good company as there are plenty of corporate people already booked up.

Auction items - If you are able to donate a 'Money can't buy item' please let us know.

Please, please ask you friends and colleagues to visit the just giving page today, as tomorrow never comes, not only does it boosts Paul's morale it also gives hope to those children who desperately need your help. Bucket collecting has been going really well and the fundraising total has risen to £6,199.40. So we have now smashed through the £5,000 target and now on our way to £10,000! We also have around £600 to collect from pledges so we're on the way to the £50,000 target, thanks to you and people like you.


Please visit to www.justgiving.com/challenge200 and for daily chit chat updates please visit www.twitter.com/challenge200

A NEW WAY OF DONATING: You can now donate by using your mobile phone.

Just text the following code and amount - QEJA87 - £50 to number 70070

I.E. TO 70070
QEJA87
£50

It's as simple as that, go on give it a try let us see if it works from out end, you'll be helping a good cause and a lot of children!

Lets go for it, with just 6.5 weeks to go lets give those children a present they'll never forget!!


Thank you for your continued and kind support!


Best Wishes


Jane, Paul and Support Crew

[Basil is a Gooner]

Good Morning Everyone

Welcome to the second update of 2012, hope you have all escaped the bug that is going around, if not, get well soon. We are attaching a photo of Paul in 'THE WHEELCHAIR OF HOPE'.

Firstly how many of you identified the deliberate mistake in last weeks update - We only had 2 people contact us...we informed you that there were only 6.5 weeks to go, it should have actually read 14.5 weeks.

Training: Training has gone very well over the week, plenty of hill work and a 3.5 mile speed session on the track at the Mountbatten track. The weather has been mixed so Paul has had an opportunity to train in wet and dry conditions, both of which he has enjoyed (mad man).
Diet is a very important part of any training period, no matter who you are. This week Paul started his 3,000 calorie a day intake, which will supply him with the energy he needs to tackle any training session and eat us out of house and home. On Wednesday he felt like Popeye because of the amount of spinach he ate and on Thursday he felt like a sumo wrestler because of the amount of food he ate, we now nickname him Popeye!

Other News: We have the support of Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey and Metropolitan Police forces and there have been no objections raised by any Dorset authority (first time of passing through Dorset).

We are lucky to have the support of the HCA who last year supplied us with a recumbent chair. A recumbent chair has gears and is driven by using the hands, Paul will use this chair in areas that the police have advised us that there are very heavy lorries and fast traffic and which are of concern to them. We would like to thank Barry North of the HCA for loaning us a chair again. This does not mean that it makes the challenge any easier for Paul because there is still a lot of stress on his shoulders which as you are aware were damaged in the accident.

New Sponsors: We have new sponsors for Paul's wrist supports, the Tume family from Gosport have generously offered to sponsor the wrist supports. We would like to thank them for the support and sincerely welcome them aboard 'THE WHEELCHAIR OF HOPE'. Thank you.

Sponsors: Arsenal Hampshire are onboard for another year, they are kindly sponsoring supplies again and we deeply appreciate there support as it means we will have important supplies throughout the whole challenge. Arsenal Hampshire supporters club are affiliated to Arsenal FC and are a regional supporters club where local Hampshire Arsenal supporters can join and gain benefits of being a member. The Arsenal Hampshire Supporters Club website is www.arsenalhampshire.com


Looking for Sponsors: We are still looking for a hotel on the Friday night, can you or anyone you know help?


The ferry crossing voucher to the Isle of Wight for a car plus 4 people is still up for grabs, just make a bid in the auction which will now end at the end of January 2012, you never know you could be the winner.


IMPORTANT NOTICE:

We are pleased to announce that a friend of ours is organising a charity Valentine's Ball for Challenge 200 in aid of Save the Children, Heather is very experienced at these things and the ball promises to be amazing!

The ball is being held on Tuesday 14th February 2012 at the Marriotts Hotel Portsmouth, just off the M27 Jnc 12. The cost to you is just £60 per head for a 6 course meal including wine, that is a fantastic bargain. There will be great entertainment a raffle and an auction, we have attended a number of these balls in the past and have been impressed every time. If you wish to attend please email us back ASAP, there are tables of 10 and it would be great to fill a couple with our friends. Some of the crew will be there as well so you'll have an opportunity to meet them and Paul.

Heather can arrange a discount on accommodation should you require a room for the night and the best thing about it is that you only have to make it to the lift ha ha, Dress Back tie!

If you are a company that would like to book a table you will be in good company as there are plenty of corporate people already booked up.

Auction items - If you are able to donate a 'Money can't buy item' please let us know.

Donations: Please, please ask you friends and colleagues to visit the just giving page today, as tomorrow never comes, not only does it boosts Paul's morale it also gives hope to those children who desperately need your help. Bucket collecting has been going really well and the fundraising total has risen to £6,551.21. So we have now smashed through the £5,000 target and now on our way to £10,000! We also have around £600 to collect from pledges so we're on the way to the £50,000 target, thanks to you and people like you.


Please visit to www.justgiving.com/challenge200 and for daily chit chat updates please visit www.twitter.com/challenge200


A NEW WAY OF DONATING, WHICH IS ANONYMOUS: You can now donate by using your mobile phone.

Just text the following code and amount - QEJA87 - £50 to number 70070

I.E. QEJA87
£50
to 70070

It's as simple as that, go on give it a try let us see if it works from our end, you'll be helping a good cause and a lot of children!

Lets go for it, with just 13 weeks and 3 days to go lets give those children a present they'll never forget!!


Thank you for your continued and kind support!


Best Wishes


Jane, Paul and Support Crew

[Basil is a Gooner]

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/local/ ... _1_3427659

By Rory McKeown
Published on Tuesday 17 January 2012 15:31


HIS heroic efforts have raised more than £1.5m for charity.


Now dedicated Paul Smith, who was left severely disabled in a road accident in 1991, is set to take on his toughest challenge yet.

The 54-year-old, of Cosham, will push his wheelchair more than 200 miles from Portland in Dorset to the Emirates Stadium, home of his beloved Arsenal Football Club

He hopes to raise £50,000 for Save the Children during the challenge, which he aims to complete in five days.

The mammoth task will be the equivalent of almost eight marathons, working out at 50 miles a day for the first two days and 30 miles a day for the final three.

Mr Smith, who will be joined by wife Jane, is embarking on an intensive training course to ensure he is in tip-top shape for the challenge in April.

‘The training is going well – I’m on the road a lot now,’ said Mr Smith.

‘I have to get used to using my muscles in a different way and there’s a lot of hill climbing to get used to what we will face.

Mr Smith was a leading seaman specialist in the Royal Navy before the accident and served in the Falklands and first Gulf campaign.

He is mainly confined to a wheelchair and suffers significant pain as a result of permanent brain damage and numerous physical disabilities.

But the effects of his accident have not stopped him raising funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Kiya Survivors in Peru, Great Ormond Street Children’s Charity and Centrepoint for Youth Homelessness.

The money raised for Save the Children will go towards its Families and Schools Together and Eat, Sleep, Learn, Play projects.

Mr Smith added: ‘I am in pain 24 hours a day but when you consider the suffering and pain children are going through now, it’s nothing compared to that.’

His team is looking for a sponsor to cover the cost of four double rooms at a hotel near Regent’s Park in London towards the end of the challenge.

Visit justgiving.com/challenge200 to donate online, or text QEJA87 £1 to 70070.

Call Jane and Paul Smith on (023) 9238 3515 if you can help.

[Master Gooner]

Hi ALL GOONERS

Hope you are all well?

Today we are letting you know that people have started donating to Paul's just giving page by mobile phone. If you would like to do the same it is anonymous so no matter what amount you donate no one will know who you are!

To donate to the just giving page just text the following QEJA87 - £5 to 70070.

We are near £7,000 and are looking to reach £50,000 that's just 50,000 people donating just £1 each.

You can still donate by going online to the challenge by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/challenge200

Thank you for your help and support!!!

Best Wishes

Jane and Paul

[Basil is a Gooner]

Good Morning Everyone

Hope this update finds you all well, January always seems a long month, even longer if you're going up and down hills in a wheelchair, I suppose.

Training: Training has gone exceptionally well this week, Paul has been out in the good and bad weather, only yesterday he was fighting his way up a number of hills in the rain. It's difficult hill training at the best of times but when you can't get a grip of the grab handles it's quite a feat to get to the top and then brake with your hands/gloves on the way down. However, I don't hear Paul complaining so I suppose I shouldn't either. Later today it's flat training again, hope he doesn't meet the same dog that tried to take a chunk out of him on Wednesday, Paul has a habit of attracting mad dogs, as most of you will know from last year, but just a slight nick on his left shin this time. I don't know what it is with some dog owners, we have a dog and he never goes for people and is always on a lead anyway. We are getting closer to the 30 mile training sessions, they will happen every Friday from 3rd of February, Paul's looking forward to them (mental), anyone who would like to join Paul for an excursion please get in touch!

Other News: Advertising posters are ready and have been sent out, you should get yours within 7 days, if you don't get one it means they've all gone. We need to get these posted in places that the public will notice so we can only send out what we can to our sponsors, the posters were designed by David Hoyle free of charge and printed for free by Selsey Printers, which we are very grateful for. If yopu are interested in having posters designed at reasonable prices please contact David on DHDesign@hotmail.co.uk

Last week we mentioned that the HCA are loaning us a recumbent chair, HCA stands for Hand Cycling Association of the UK and their website is: www.handcycling.org.uk

Sponsors: CTC are our sponsors for the route, Andy Hawes of the CTC (based in Guildford) has prepared the route for us again, to him we are extremely grateful.

CTC, the UK’s largest cycling charity, inspires and helps people to cycle and keep cycling, whatever kind of cycling they do or would like to do. Over a century’s experience tells them that cycling is more than useful transport; it makes you feel good, gives you a sense of freedom and creates a better environment for everyone.

They provide expert, practical help and advice.
They support individuals and communities.
They protect cyclists’ interests.
They campaign to make cycling mainstream and to remove the things that stop people cycling.
They help people develop the confidence and skills to cycle.
They promote the benefits of cycling to individuals, to society and to the economy.
The CTC website is: www.ctc.org.uk


Looking for Sponsors: We are still looking for a hotel on the Friday night, can you or anyone you know help?


The ferry crossing voucher to the Isle of Wight for a car plus 4 people is still up for grabs, just make a bid in the auction which will now end at the end of January 2012, you never know you could be the winner.


IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Last week we told you about the charity Valentine's ball that was to be organised for Challenge 200 in aid of Save the Children. Unfortunately due to the lack of interest the ball has been cancelled. We apologise to those of you who were to come and support us but circumstances beyond our control have caused the cancellation. Thank you for your support!


Donations: Please, please ask you friends and colleagues to visit the just giving page today, as tomorrow never comes, not only does it boosts Paul's morale it also gives hope to those children who desperately need your help. Bucket collecting has been going really well and the fundraising total has risen to £6,556.21. So we have now smashed through the £5,000 target and now on our way to £10,000! We also have around £600 to collect from pledges so we're on the way to the £50,000 target, thanks to you and people like you.


Please visit to www.justgiving.com/challenge200 and for daily chit chat updates please visit www.twitter.com/challenge200


A NEW WAY OF DONATING, WHICH IS ANONYMOUS: You can now donate by using your mobile phone.

Just text the following code and amount - QEJA87 - £10 to number 70070

I.E. QEJA87
£10
to 70070

Thank you for your continued and kind support!


Best Wishes


Jane, Paul and Support Crew

[Master Gooner]

Hi ALL Gooners

Tomorrow's weekly update has a number of incidents in it so do miss it!

Best Wishes

Jane and Paul

[Basil is a Gooner]

Good Morning Everyone

Final email of January, hope you are all well?

Training: Its been a week full of unwanted incidents for Paul, not one we would hope to repeat! Monday training went well, the weather was great so Paul tackled hills and distance clocking up 14.1 miles for the day. Tuesday's weather was heavy rain in the morning and sunshine in the afternoon, which did Paul choose to train in, yes you guessed, he trained in the pouring rain, came in like a drowned rat saying it was an exciting session. When training in the wet, it means things become more risky or as Paul would say exciting. Wet weather means Paul will have to grip harder on the handrail rim to get moving, going up hill has it's risks as his hands will regularly slip off the handrail, this could cause sprained or even broken wrists if he's not careful. Going downhill means he has to apply loads of pressure to the handrail in order to keep the chair under control, however it means the bare finger tips will also be rubbing on the handrail and he will suffer friction burns, sometimes without realising it. As you know Paul's shoulders are already damaged due to the accident so it's also added strain on both shoulders as well so the alternative is to allow the chair to run freely and then apply all the pressure he can just before a junction, this is his preferred option, which he thinks is more exciting as well!

Wednesday was packed full of incidents, Paul left for a 15 mile session around the outskirts of Portsmouth, when just 2 miles out he suffered a puncture to the freewheel, I received a call asking me to pick up the wheel and take it for repair, by the time I arrived at the scene a gentleman had stopped to see if he could help, unfortunately he couldn't so he made a donation to the charity instead. Paul arrived home some 2.5 hours later to inform me that a driver had overtaken him just before a left turn and then turned across him but decided to stop right in front of him, Paul was alert and took avoiding action. Then just 4 miles from home a Jack Russel had decided to attack him while the owner just walked along chatting on her mobile phone, fortunately Paul was not hurt by the attack! The wheel was repaired at a local bike shop and Paul was back on the road yesterday morning. However, after completing his hill training, Paul felt that not all was right with the freewheel and could feel it rubbing on the arch of the wheel frame, the rest of training was terminated and Paul returned home quite frustrated. We had discovered that a bolt had sheared and had caused the frame to drop onto the wheel, which in turn cause it to rub, the freewheel is now being repaired and with a bit of luck will be ready later today! Paul can still train without the freewheel and will be on the road this afternoon with or without it, the freewheel is not a product of RGK Wheelchairs.

So as you can see it's all been happening, Paul's spirits remain high and he looks forward to training everyday...except when he's off to watch Arsenal play! Next Friday Paul starts his 30 miles training sessions, this means the weekly update will be out late and you probably won't read it until Monday.

Other News: Brewers and Sons Ltd have been very generous again and sent us another cheque, we would like to thank Richard Dobbs and Brewers sincerely for their kind gesture.

Sponsors: Nite Watches sponsor Paul's watch, these watches are superb and well worth a look at if you're thinking of replacing yours or buying one as a present. Visit Nite Watches at www.nitewatches.co.uk Some of the Nite staff will join us on day one of the challenge from Bournemouth to Christchurch, Dorset where Nite are based. Thank you for your support Nite!


Looking for Sponsors: We are still looking for a hotel on the Friday night, can you or anyone you know help?


The ferry crossing voucher to the Isle of Wight for a car plus 4 people is still up for grabs, just make a bid in the auction which will now end at the end of January 2012, you never know you could be the winner. Last few days!!

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Donations: Please, please ask you friends and colleagues to visit the just giving page today, as tomorrow never comes, not only does it boosts Paul's morale it also gives hope to those children who desperately need your help. Bucket collecting has been going really well and the fundraising total has risen to £6,909.00. Thanks to you and people like you we are getting there!


Please visit to www.justgiving.com/challenge200 and for daily chit chat updates please visit www.twitter.com/challenge200


A NEW AND ANONYMOUS WAY OF DONATING: You can now donate by using your mobile phone.

Just text the following code and amount - QEJA87 - £10 to number 70070

I.E. QEJA87
£10
to 70070

Thank you for your continued and kind support!


Best Wishes


Jane, Paul and Support Crew