This week the Oar Raisers have been raising sponsorship for the 80 mile walk to Kent on the 4th of Feb.
So far so good, we have raised well over £100 each and expect to receive a healthy whack from our courages
friends also participating, Anyone taking on this challenge should know how truly grateful and inspired we are
by your efforts. Completing even a small part of this walk will be a big achievement, so we hope you're all ready
and as excited/nervous as we are...
With only four days to event day we should almost certainly be ready, however a few snags have exploded onto
the stage and in typical Oar Raiser form we are seeking out ways (kind friends) to resolve the problems. The official
red Oar Raisers fiesta that was to provide support and back up on this event has sadly passed away to the great
scrapheap in the sky to the sound of a blown catalytic converter and eroded manifold. I share the sorrow and loss
of my first car with Colin John Bowles, a man decent enough to have been my car sharing buddy...
I'd just like to say a few words in memory of Trouble (our cars nickname) -
Carry we who die in battle
Over land and sea
Across the rainbow bridge
To Valhalla
Odin's waiting for me
the loss of Trouble actually might make life quite difficult for us in the near future - so if anyone would like to donate a car of working order, it would be gratefully received haha
Ok to Tom then, Congratulations brother... Tom passed his trailer test this week which means he can now pull a boat behind his car, a massive benefit for us obviously, although nervous and with only half the generally required training R1 passed the test with flying colours and we wish to thank Peter Sutton of the Norwich trailer training company for his donation of the training sessions and all his help. Well done Tom.
All final preparations in place for the walk the Mayor of Cambridge will be waving us off at 07:00 am on Friday morning from the Guildhall, I am hopeful we will find another vehicle in time to provide support along the way. All those taking part, please don't forget your contact sheets on the day and don't be late, although we're not expecting a marching pace we do have a vague schedule to stick to.
As with most Sunday evenings, I am tired and almost unable to move my legs due to another weeks exhausting training and running around organising things, the sensation is less like pain but more like the warmth and satisfaction of knowing the hard work you've put in. It's hard to express in words without it sounding horrible but I have grown to quite like the feeling of my pulverised muscle meat clinging to my bones. The body is a remarkable thing and capable of enduring incredible punishment, I just hope our minds are as fortified.
For now, enjoy your first week of February and look out for us on Friday, any offers of support or services are still welcome,
keep reading,
Chris.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Walking, Pictures and Dog...ing (not the sexy kind)
Firstly hello everyone, hope you're all well and have had a perfectly acceptable start to the NY...
As you are all no doubt aware on the 4th of Feb we intend to walk approximately 80 miles from Cambridge to Kent,
plans for said walk are well under way and shaping up to be fairly interesting, with 14 people confirmed to do part of
or the entire stretch we are hoping to raise a tidy sum for our cause and chosen charity... participants you know who
you are so do us proud as land crew and pull in that sponsorship!...
On Saturday myself and work colleague walked 11 miles as a trial run on the beginning route of the actual walk, Joseph
Anderton had never walked that far in one hit and completed with a good time of just over 3 hours, this is the pace I intend
to keep en route to Kent... Well done Joseph a real solid effort mate, little Abington is lovely!
Sunday saw 5 of the Kent walkers set off to Clayhithe near Water beach, There and back is almost 10 miles so well done everyone, I for one had a lot of fun and the pit/pint stop at the bridge was a particularly nice highlight. I (Rower 2) felt quite vulnerable to the wind and lack of heat around my ears and head, mainly due to the fact that I have decided to go very short up top and the once lustrous locks I had no longer provide the comfort and protection against the elements I am used to... However it has made training considerably easier!... This last week has seen both of push our lifting capacity on the decline Bench press to 6 sets of 8 reps 80 kilos, an incredible amount of weight and muscular endurance - it is just a shame we cannot walk to Kent on our hands...
So then, to the intrigue of 'Dog...ing' Today our friend Sophie is off to see her husband for the first time in ages, so we are taking Elvis (The King) quadruped until she returns, it's funny - Elvis has stayed with us before and is a pleasure to have, he looks at me sometimes as if to say 'don't worry mate, I don't think ya an idiot' This is affirmed by his sympathetic cocking of his head and friendly attentive stare... Black as night and strong as a horse it's easy to see why people think these guys are man's best friends, I don't think he could row the Atlantic but I think he'd give a good attempt at eating it.
for now, Over and out.
As you are all no doubt aware on the 4th of Feb we intend to walk approximately 80 miles from Cambridge to Kent,
plans for said walk are well under way and shaping up to be fairly interesting, with 14 people confirmed to do part of
or the entire stretch we are hoping to raise a tidy sum for our cause and chosen charity... participants you know who
you are so do us proud as land crew and pull in that sponsorship!...
On Saturday myself and work colleague walked 11 miles as a trial run on the beginning route of the actual walk, Joseph
Anderton had never walked that far in one hit and completed with a good time of just over 3 hours, this is the pace I intend
to keep en route to Kent... Well done Joseph a real solid effort mate, little Abington is lovely!
Sunday saw 5 of the Kent walkers set off to Clayhithe near Water beach, There and back is almost 10 miles so well done everyone, I for one had a lot of fun and the pit/pint stop at the bridge was a particularly nice highlight. I (Rower 2) felt quite vulnerable to the wind and lack of heat around my ears and head, mainly due to the fact that I have decided to go very short up top and the once lustrous locks I had no longer provide the comfort and protection against the elements I am used to... However it has made training considerably easier!... This last week has seen both of push our lifting capacity on the decline Bench press to 6 sets of 8 reps 80 kilos, an incredible amount of weight and muscular endurance - it is just a shame we cannot walk to Kent on our hands...
So then, to the intrigue of 'Dog...ing' Today our friend Sophie is off to see her husband for the first time in ages, so we are taking Elvis (The King) quadruped until she returns, it's funny - Elvis has stayed with us before and is a pleasure to have, he looks at me sometimes as if to say 'don't worry mate, I don't think ya an idiot' This is affirmed by his sympathetic cocking of his head and friendly attentive stare... Black as night and strong as a horse it's easy to see why people think these guys are man's best friends, I don't think he could row the Atlantic but I think he'd give a good attempt at eating it.
for now, Over and out.
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Cambridge to Kent:
One month from today we embark on an 80 mile walk from Cambridge to Kent, This is a mini challenge in the lead up to the epic adventure, this will be challenging for us and give us both an idea of where we are physically and mentally...
People are welcome to attempt the journey with getting sponsored as individuals, so far we have around 8 people confirmed to participate so thank you guys I'm sure you'll enjoy it and get a great sense of achievement on completion of your chosen distance.
You can do it in teams as a relay, or with a friend, partner, dog or hamster it's entirely up to you but if you do want to be involved please contact us and let us know as soon as possible so we can send you a kit list, contact sheet and sponsor form - you'll also get T-shirts for your trouble!...
As a training run you could be walking a few long distance weekend walk such as Cambridge to Ely along the river or perhaps to Fordham...it's down to you to train and down to you do something amazing so why not join us and burn of some of those festive pounds?!... this is a great opportunity for you to contribute directly to a charity and achieve a personal goal, go on give it a go.
People are welcome to attempt the journey with getting sponsored as individuals, so far we have around 8 people confirmed to participate so thank you guys I'm sure you'll enjoy it and get a great sense of achievement on completion of your chosen distance.
You can do it in teams as a relay, or with a friend, partner, dog or hamster it's entirely up to you but if you do want to be involved please contact us and let us know as soon as possible so we can send you a kit list, contact sheet and sponsor form - you'll also get T-shirts for your trouble!...
As a training run you could be walking a few long distance weekend walk such as Cambridge to Ely along the river or perhaps to Fordham...it's down to you to train and down to you do something amazing so why not join us and burn of some of those festive pounds?!... this is a great opportunity for you to contribute directly to a charity and achieve a personal goal, go on give it a go.
Festivities over, a long break and now for the torture:
It's been a long festive season for the Oar Raisers what with travelling to various places visiting friends and family between training and fundraising etc but now the new year has begun and we intend to rise with new vigour, taking the world by storm with our fundraising schemes and hellish training challenges...
Firstly we hope everyone has had a great Christmas and New year - we've been luck enough not only to see our families but to spend real quality time with our friends - Men, Women, and Elvis the quadriped
Firstly we hope everyone has had a great Christmas and New year - we've been luck enough not only to see our families but to spend real quality time with our friends - Men, Women, and Elvis the quadriped
Sunday, 28 November 2010
The Oar Raisers black tie post report:
Success!... to some degree at least, the evening of the 27th November saw the Oar Raisers first large scale event. After two months of stress and an incredible amount leg work the night arrived with little to no hiccups - noticeable or not there were a few but in true Oar Raiser style we 'got it done'.
Ordering people around and directing the general operation (meticulously I might add) has become the new order of the day for Rower 2 and as such the proof came with the pudding as the night unfolded a creamy, silk smooth schedule bar the cock ups out of his hands. Even in the face of the last minute alterations, necessary changes and unpredictable scenarios R2 kept calm and carried on.
The attendees thronged into the lobby for their mulled wine and pleasantries to the subtle sounds of jazz piano and a roaring open fire, 136 guests took their places at the tables and were informed of the events about to take place. Seated, starters issued and some classical guitar drifted over the chit chat and clinky clinking of cutlery and wine receptacles - it was a decadent and charming affair with a great dynamic. The courses came and went fluidly with smiles and praise for the food. The top table looked on in anticipation of something going wrong but it never seemed to, a relief.
Food done, a spat of comedy leading into the auction which lasted far longer than predicted but raised far more than we originally thought it would. Auction lots came and went with varying degrees of interest and bids, There were some tremendously generous people and the kindness lasted the entire evening with over £500 being raised separately on raffle tickets!...
Truly the people around us are very supportive and we are privileged to have such wonderfully kind friends and family - if you had asked me a month a go if I thought this event would be a success - I would have said absolutely not, too little too late but to have seen everyone glammed up and prepared to spend their money on a charity auction the way did - I am proud, shocked but proud to call these people my friends. I thank you all and I am sure Parkinson's UK will be delighted with our result.
Total count for the night is a staggering £2821 plus some money to come from the Land Lady of The Alexander Arms Cambridge who kindly did shuttle runs in her car to the hotel for a donation, thank you to you Caroline - you wonderful woman.
A further addition to this months fundraising came in the form of a race night at the Frog and Toad pub Gillingham Kent - David, Glenda and Sophie managed to raise a brilliant £300 - a massive thank you family!...
The band (run for cover) played everyone out with great cover songs from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and many more artists, a fantastic performance and one to be remembered not least for the dancing Black tie wearers, Rhod Davies put on a particularly good display of Welsh revelry.
All in all with donations from the table boxes and everything else we have reached over £3K which is to my mind a huge success, owed mainly to you guys that cam and supported us, so thank you all, I am utterly over awed (oared) by you...
The Auction over, we made a few speeches kicked of by Master Auctioneer Sir Colin of Johnny Bowles (I would like to convey my personal thanks to him for his hard work and terrific effort) Speeches of thanks from both R1 and R2 accompanied by a welcome message to bright shiny new baby James - Congrats Bill and Jayne!...(still wish you'd had the baby at the auction the publicity would have been great!) haha
And one last but by no means least thanks, to Abigail for her enormous patience, her dedication to our cause and her ability to keep me on track when all else seems to be falling apart - thank you my darling little toe.
Keep up to date with our progress and we will endeavour to put on some large events in the new year, but from now until Christmas I am training and concentrating only on much smaller fundraisers and sponsorship... If you want to get involved by running an event for us please just ask and we'll get something sorted, don't forget you can also hire us for a days labour at anytime in return for a donation....
We do hope you all had a great time and thank you all once again!
R2.
Ordering people around and directing the general operation (meticulously I might add) has become the new order of the day for Rower 2 and as such the proof came with the pudding as the night unfolded a creamy, silk smooth schedule bar the cock ups out of his hands. Even in the face of the last minute alterations, necessary changes and unpredictable scenarios R2 kept calm and carried on.
The attendees thronged into the lobby for their mulled wine and pleasantries to the subtle sounds of jazz piano and a roaring open fire, 136 guests took their places at the tables and were informed of the events about to take place. Seated, starters issued and some classical guitar drifted over the chit chat and clinky clinking of cutlery and wine receptacles - it was a decadent and charming affair with a great dynamic. The courses came and went fluidly with smiles and praise for the food. The top table looked on in anticipation of something going wrong but it never seemed to, a relief.
Food done, a spat of comedy leading into the auction which lasted far longer than predicted but raised far more than we originally thought it would. Auction lots came and went with varying degrees of interest and bids, There were some tremendously generous people and the kindness lasted the entire evening with over £500 being raised separately on raffle tickets!...
Truly the people around us are very supportive and we are privileged to have such wonderfully kind friends and family - if you had asked me a month a go if I thought this event would be a success - I would have said absolutely not, too little too late but to have seen everyone glammed up and prepared to spend their money on a charity auction the way did - I am proud, shocked but proud to call these people my friends. I thank you all and I am sure Parkinson's UK will be delighted with our result.
Total count for the night is a staggering £2821 plus some money to come from the Land Lady of The Alexander Arms Cambridge who kindly did shuttle runs in her car to the hotel for a donation, thank you to you Caroline - you wonderful woman.
A further addition to this months fundraising came in the form of a race night at the Frog and Toad pub Gillingham Kent - David, Glenda and Sophie managed to raise a brilliant £300 - a massive thank you family!...
The band (run for cover) played everyone out with great cover songs from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and many more artists, a fantastic performance and one to be remembered not least for the dancing Black tie wearers, Rhod Davies put on a particularly good display of Welsh revelry.
All in all with donations from the table boxes and everything else we have reached over £3K which is to my mind a huge success, owed mainly to you guys that cam and supported us, so thank you all, I am utterly over awed (oared) by you...
The Auction over, we made a few speeches kicked of by Master Auctioneer Sir Colin of Johnny Bowles (I would like to convey my personal thanks to him for his hard work and terrific effort) Speeches of thanks from both R1 and R2 accompanied by a welcome message to bright shiny new baby James - Congrats Bill and Jayne!...(still wish you'd had the baby at the auction the publicity would have been great!) haha
And one last but by no means least thanks, to Abigail for her enormous patience, her dedication to our cause and her ability to keep me on track when all else seems to be falling apart - thank you my darling little toe.
Keep up to date with our progress and we will endeavour to put on some large events in the new year, but from now until Christmas I am training and concentrating only on much smaller fundraisers and sponsorship... If you want to get involved by running an event for us please just ask and we'll get something sorted, don't forget you can also hire us for a days labour at anytime in return for a donation....
We do hope you all had a great time and thank you all once again!
R2.
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Testing times and custom Converse!...
The last two weeks have had us at highs and lows much like an Atlantic tide Ebbs and flows....................................
So Rower 1 has been doing his trailer license training in Norfolk, provided free by a very kind gentleman from www.suttondriving.co.uk
This has been a necessary part of our progression as without the trailer license we cannot move the boat ourselves and although the training ordinarily might incur a large cost we have managed to do a great deal on getting the training free - we will have to cover the cost of the test fee but that is a much smaller sum. R1 claims to have enjoyed the training a great deal and was pleased to have been doing it with an instructor that put him at ease, So from both the Oar Raisers thank you to Sutton driving.
The next trip for R1 saw him going back school, giving talks and lessons to year 8, 9 and 10 of a school in South Bucks... To his amazement the response was brilliant and the children were really engaged by everything he had to say. The school have agreed to do some fundraising for us which is very positive indeed.
Publicity this week includes a feature in Deritend Industries in house magazine and County wide the County Council employee information paper (article entitled 5 minutes with Chris Howard) Lastly as I'm sure you've all seen on our face book page, Sandira Reddy an artist form Canvas Warriors has customised our very own Oar Raiser Converse trainers and kindly donated them to us, she is also going to donate a voucher for one pair of custom trainers painted trainers that will be a lot in our up and coming auction event on the 27th November. The Black tie dinner and auction is well under way and there are now very few tickets left so get in quick if you have a friend or another person interested in coming. Tickets can now also be purchased from The Alexander Arms Cambridge (The Landlord and Landlady have been very supportive -thank you Charlie and Caroline...
You can also catch a short time lapse film of our trainers being painted on you tube - just type in Canvas warriors painting a shoe!... it's actually amazing!
That's all for now folks so please keep reading as we have news breaking daily like eggs rolling off a table top.
So Rower 1 has been doing his trailer license training in Norfolk, provided free by a very kind gentleman from www.suttondriving.co.uk
This has been a necessary part of our progression as without the trailer license we cannot move the boat ourselves and although the training ordinarily might incur a large cost we have managed to do a great deal on getting the training free - we will have to cover the cost of the test fee but that is a much smaller sum. R1 claims to have enjoyed the training a great deal and was pleased to have been doing it with an instructor that put him at ease, So from both the Oar Raisers thank you to Sutton driving.
The next trip for R1 saw him going back school, giving talks and lessons to year 8, 9 and 10 of a school in South Bucks... To his amazement the response was brilliant and the children were really engaged by everything he had to say. The school have agreed to do some fundraising for us which is very positive indeed.
Publicity this week includes a feature in Deritend Industries in house magazine and County wide the County Council employee information paper (article entitled 5 minutes with Chris Howard) Lastly as I'm sure you've all seen on our face book page, Sandira Reddy an artist form Canvas Warriors has customised our very own Oar Raiser Converse trainers and kindly donated them to us, she is also going to donate a voucher for one pair of custom trainers painted trainers that will be a lot in our up and coming auction event on the 27th November. The Black tie dinner and auction is well under way and there are now very few tickets left so get in quick if you have a friend or another person interested in coming. Tickets can now also be purchased from The Alexander Arms Cambridge (The Landlord and Landlady have been very supportive -thank you Charlie and Caroline...
You can also catch a short time lapse film of our trainers being painted on you tube - just type in Canvas warriors painting a shoe!... it's actually amazing!
That's all for now folks so please keep reading as we have news breaking daily like eggs rolling off a table top.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
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