The Wight Way Round: May 2009

Just 17 days to go now until the start of the WightWayRound challenge! While the walkers keep going with the training the focus is now on fundraising. We are aiming to raise at least £2000 - £1000 for each charity.

Below you will find details of the charities we are supporting. To support us please click on the justgiving link in the right hand column.

Every penny we raise will go to the the British Heart Foundation and the Grassroots Trust so please pledge as much as you can.

The Charities we are supporting:

You will probably know that the British Heart Foundation is the Bank’s chosen charity for this year. The money raised will be used to enable the foundation to continue its pioneering research and vital prevention activity as well as ensuring quality care and support is maintained for everyone living with heart disease.

www.bhf.org.uk

Grassroots is a Christian charity supporting children (mainly orphans) and their families/carers in Mbeya in Tanzania.

In November 2006 Mark Price was invited to join a team of around 20 people travelling to Mbeya, a large town in South West Tanzania to help with a child sponsorship programme run a UK based charity - The Grassroots Trust.

Grassroots' work in Tanzania has been growing rapidly over the last ten years and now over 1500 children and their families/carers are supported through the provision of food, blankets, access to medical care and resources to enable children to go to school.

After the trip Mark said ‘The thing that struck me most during my two weeks in Mbeya was that, despite the extreme poverty that the people endured, we were always welcomed with a smile. Seeing the energy and industry of the local people - making the best of the little they had - was truly humbling’.

In November 2007 Mark returned to Mbeya and it was great to see the progress that the children had made along with the new cookhouses and wells that had been financed by Grassroots. He is going back again this coming November and hopes that through this sponsored walk a significant sum of money can be raised to help Grassroots continue its programme of providing clean water, food and medical care for the increasing number of children on the sponsorship scheme. Our aim is to raise £1000 to provide and equip a cookhouse for a new feeding programme in Mbeya.

Please note that all of the money raised through sponsorship will go direct to the charity – Mark is not raising funds through the walk to pay for the cost of the trip!

www.grassroots.org.uk

Thank you for your generous support.