Another Day in the Life of……..
Posted by lynne | fitness, kindness, Marathons and Runs, new Royal Hospital for Sick Children Edinburgh, The Retreat, Volunteers | No CommentsDespite today being a difficult one personally (5th anniversary of my stepson’s sudden death in a Road Traffic Incident) it has been a good day.
Ian and I worked together on a number of Ripple Retreat issues – ordering furniture and asking for discounts – I have been very successful in getting great discounts so far! Time consuming but very worthwhile. Ian, meantime, was dealing with BT. Enough said…….
Then I got a lovely call offering me a London Marathon place and so I had a couple of hours of checking with folk who had asked in the past and, well, to cut a long story short one of our fab long time supporters is going to take up the opportunity. I shall tell more next week – she wants to make a plan first before announcing it.
I started my January To Do List as in I started to compile it, not started to work it. I need to clone me. Yikes, there is much to do.
However, let me tell you about last night’s amazing success. I wrote on our Facebook Trustees and Ambassadors page that it is more work than I ever imagined. Because it is. That I need to get 250 prizes in. That I need to sort events out volunteer wise.
Before you knew it, emails, messages and tweets were pinging in offering prizes and volunteers. Hazel, one of our Glasgow Ambassadors pulled together a team of 6 volunteers for an event in Glasgow in March. Several Ambassadors shared a few posts about treks and challenges. One of our Ambassadors, Kev, offered us a fabulous topiary coo to auction. At another event it raised £8500!. Now, if there is anyone out there who would like to give me £10k right now, it is yours! worth every penny – I have seen how these are made and it is hard work and incredible skill. Not to mention Kev’s kindness in donating.
I now have 50 of the 250 prizes I need – there is much work to do on getting the rest but I like work. Just wish I had more time in each day.
In case I make it sound like life is one big party – raising money, organising events, asking for prizes, requesting discounts, let me tell you that it takes hours and hours or hard work and there is one job always destined to put a gloomy cloud over my head when it is mentioned. Getting guests to pay. We have some who are so fast it isn’t true. But there are also others who need a few reminders. I hate doing reminders, makes me feel like a nagging wife (and Ian will very happily tell you, that I am far from a nagging wife). I gotta do it though if I want to keep doing events. Well, I say I gotta do it. I mean me and Shonagh gotta do it. She has the lion’s share of chasing. The sigh of relief when all money is in for an event is audible in space, I am convinced.
Anyway, I must go as have a few more emails to send off tonight asking for prizes. Wish me luck!

Kev Paxton of ArtFe – topiary coo
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