Parachutes, bike rides and £250k for charity
When raising funds for charity (Mail), we should consider not just the big national charities as possible recipients. In 1996, I had a birthday party at the Bridge Inn in Kentchurch, on the Welsh border. I put up a marquee and charged a £5 entry fee to hear a local band. Afterwards, we were amazed to find we had taken £1,650, and the dilemma was: what should I do with it? We decided to donate it to charity and agreed it had to be a local charity. I chose St Michael’s hospice in hereford. When I presented a cheque and was shown around, I realised what wonderful care it provided. So two years later, I organised a second party, raised another £2,265 — and an obsession was born. Since then money has been raised every year in a variety of events — with jazz nights, book sales, garage sales, by collecting scrap metal and street collections. While on holiday in Mexico, I skydived onto a beach, which gave me the idea for a team I called The Golden Valley Flyers, a static line parachute team which raised £4,600 — the easiest £100 came from someone who bet I wouldn’t be the first to jump. In 1999, I rode a motorbike across India and that provided the inspiration for hospice Angels. In 2000, I made two films of Grosmont, a village in Monmouthshire, showing the videos in the town hall and selling them. In 2002, a friend wanted to take his horse to London, and together we raised £12,500. On our return, we sold at auction a bag of the horse’s manure and all four horseshoes, one making £165. By 2003, I thought I was running out of new ideas until I was introduced to the Mayor of hereford who wanted to take a team to Paris. This eventually became a visit to Vierzon, hereford’s twin town in France, at which the hospice Angels were finally launched. The trip raised £12,000. Over the next few years, we visited Dillenburg, hereford’s twin town in Germany, raising £13,500, Stromstad in Sweden, which made £9,200, and £15,300 for a palliative care unit in Kirkwall in the Orkneys. On a tour of Ireland in 2008, we visited Sligo hospice and raised £3,500. With sponsorship and a reception on our return, £16,000 was raised for St Michael’s. In 2009, the 25th anniversary of the hospice, we raised £25,000 visiting the war graves in France and Belgium and taking part in the ceremony at the Menin Gate in ypres. Over the next few years, travelling to Betzdorf in Germany (Ross-on-Wye’s twin), Saverne in France (Leominster’s twin) and Slovenia, our total passed £250,000. I’m amazed at people’s generosity. I once left my motorbike in the centre of Grosmont, only to find £60 under my gloves on my return. This year we’re attempting the Three Peaks Challenge, and I continue to give talks to WIs and various groups and help the hospice with some of its events such as a half marathon, the Venus Challenge (a midnight walk around hereford) and the Wheelie Big Bike Ride. Next year will be my 80th and I hope to carry on as long as possible.
MIKE PULLIN, Dinedor, Hereford.