"14,000 feet; one weekend" or Two Amazing Ladies (Published April 2006)
The story this month is not about us. It is
primarily about Two Amazing Ladies who have been
supporting ChildLine for years; many of us have
been to their annual fundraising dinners and heard of
ChildLine's important work (www.childline.org.uk).
Over the years they have raised £197,000. Who among us
have ever done anything like that?
Helen Mackenzie and Carole Roe, the Two Amazing
Ladies, are now diversifying their fundraising efforts. They have gathered
about 25 people, all sponsored for ChildLine, to ascend Mount Toubkal in
Morocco, starting 14 June. Toubkal, at 4,167 meters, is the highest of the
Atlas mountains.
Seven years ago I saw an advert in The Times, a picture of a mountain
with the caption "14,000 feet; one weekend". A charity was inviting busy
people to get sponsorship for them and, in four days, to fly to Morocco,
walk in, "climb" Mount Toubkal, walk out and fly back.
For 23 years I had climbed Alpine mountains every year for my summer
holidays. Toubkal seemed a great idea and I raised my sponsorship. Two
weeks before the event my wife and I attended a briefing meeting. My
wife noted that those attending were not "mountain gorillas" (her term)
and decided to join us, so I got more sponsorship. It was a wonderful
weekend. I am going back again with the ladies.
"I am asking . . . our clients . . . our competitors . . . please support Carole and Helen"
Toubkal is technically easy. But the walk in is 15 miles, the ascent
and descent is 8,000 feet from the road head, and much of the top
3,000 feet is a rocky scramble, albeit a safe one.
However, few can ascend to 4,200 metres in two
days without a noticeable effect of altitude. Ascending
to 4,200 metres is also slow; there is only two-thirds of
the oxygen available at sea level.
My sponsorship target is £50,000, for me or others
on the event. That is the mountain I want to climb, much
harder for me than Toubkal. This needs the help of a lot of
people. I seek 250 sponsors with an average of £200. I hope for £25 to £100
from private sponsors and over £500 from corporate sponsors. I am asking:
- our clients
- our investors
- my friends
- our competitors
- our introducers
- the professional supporters to this industry
- all other visitors to this website
Please support Carole and Helen. They are not "mountain gorillas"
either! Please generously support them, or me, or one of the other 25.
Log on to www.justgiving.com/caroleroe or www.justgiving.com/
helenmackenzie or www.justgiving.com/david-ross. Gordon Brown
will add your tax relief to each donation. Now, there is a good reason to
double whatever you had in mind!
Written by David Ross Director
Download
the Article 'Two Amazing Ladies' at www.fairfaxgerrard.co.uk/docs/BusMon 0406 Two Amazing Ladies.pdf
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