So, Christmas came and went, things have been quite quiet over the last few months, with no joy on the corporate sponsorship front, we decided to investigate other ways to raise the money.

We have decided to go with a "Calendar Girls" style calendar using Broadland-Great Yarmouth Rugby Club's players. Becky came up with the brilliant and very tongue-in-cheek idea, now its down to me and the guys from Broadland to work out the fine details and get the project moving!

Progress on this will be updated as soon as its under-way!

Fitness training is going ok-ish, by which i mean, i still cant run for more than a minute without having to stop to catch my breath, not good, but then i have to bear in mind, im 36 this year (not that that is an excuse!) I must quit smoking....

I will of course keep you all updated as things happen, but for now, im off-ski!

One Love

Tam

a good write up in the local paper this week, not exactly fleet street, i know, but its getting the event on the radar of people, and letting them know how they can sponsor, or take part.

Still nothing from any potential sponsors, and its looking likely were going to have to organise an event to raise the money needed to make this happen, either that, or i can go it alone, and pay for it out of my own pocket (under the guise of a european holiday to the missus, but shhhhh its a secret! ;p )

As i said before, anyone who knows of any companies who could be possibles for sponsors, PLEASE pass their details on to me, as its getting rather urgent!

Training is going well, apart from the stiffness, and soreness, but its par for the course i suppose, i didnt exactly think it through when taking up rugby again at 35! Played my first full rugby match in nearly 20 years last saturday, and i was surprised to find i wasnt that sore after, nor was i that tired after either, all encouraging signs on the fitness front.

I am however, a long way off being match fit and being able to slog 80 minutes every week with 95-100% effort each week, but do i think i can slog 50km a day over 4 days? im confident providing i dont get any serious injuries, that my legs will be strong enough come July.

Finding a medic/Sports physio is also proving problematic. I am going to need someone of that ilk to provide some medical support for me, and also to make sure i am taking on board enough calories/water etc as im going along to minimise the risk of injury/de-hydration and other related problems.

Support team roles are a REALLY important part of this event, as without them, it will be almost impossible to do everything on my own. Slots still up for grabs are :-

Medic/Sports Physio - Covers all the team physical , fitness and nutritional support needs.

Logistics Co-ordinator - Arranges transport, food, kit, and liases with walk staff on routes/camping etc

Note : anyone volunteering for these roles, MUST be commited, as this is a serious event, and not something to be taken lightly.

If you feel your have the skills, commitment, and motivation to do this, or you know someone who may be intersted, please email tam@hearts-minds.co.uk or contact me through the contact page on this website.

One Love

Tam

We're definately struggling now. All but one of our potential sponsors have said no. Das is nicht gut...

So, anyone who knows of anyone who may be able to help fnd this event, PLEASE pass them our detials, or pass their details to us, because without sponsorship, this event IS NOT going to happen, which would be a shame, as the 3 charities do such great work, and need as much support as possible.

other than that, there is not much to say, nothing is happening except the weekly slog at training, which is begining to get me thinking that im too old for this kinda thing!

One Love

Tam

Well, so far we have had pretty much a big NO from most companies i have asked for sponsorship, disconcerting in the least, my morale is quite low at the moment, and i need a bit of a pick-me-up and some good news to get me going again.

On the plus side, i am looking into some grants, which maybe an effective alternative to sponsorship, and will hopefully enable to cover at least some of our costs, if not all of them. Still a victory in my eyes, but lets not get ahead of myself, and see how it goes.

I have been struggling this week with a thigh injury i picked up training last week, its not serious enough to stop me training overall, but it does make sprinting and the like quite hard, and i had to quit training early last week because of it. I am, however, aware i may make it worse if i tear the arse out of it and not rest properly, so all i can do is see how we go tomorrow night, and go from there.

Things are still moving frustratingly slowly, and due to personal circumstances, Luke and Jim have had to take a sabbatical from training.

We are still looking for willing volunteers, who are interested in becoming part of the team, and helping us raise as much money as possible for these 3 cracking charities, MIND, The British Heart Foundation and The National Autistic Society.

I would also like to take this chance to thank those who have donated so far, and would like to encourage those who havn't to do so. 1p, 10p, £1 or £10.... it doesnt matter, its all money that these 3 fantastic charites urgently need to carry on doing the good work they do.

One Love

Tam