Hello,
A huge thank you to everyone who has sponsored me.
I finished the marathon on April 17th in a time of 3:58:19, a 25 minute improvement on my 2003 effort, and more importantly, below my 4hr target time, which means I can now collect a couple of sponsorship bonuses I was promised if I broke 4hrs!
If you would still like to sponsor me, it's not too late!
I'm running in aid of the St John Bosco Orphanage and Mercy Boys Home in Georgetown, Guyana. Jesuit Missions is the UK Charity which will send the money on to Guyana. However much or little you can spare, it all counts, and the money will go even further when converted into Guynese dollars.
I have visited the orphanage and boys home several times and I can assure you that it is a very worthy cause which depends entirely on voluntary donations.
Guyana is a very poor country with no state welfare system. The orphanage caters for boys who have been abandoned by their family and provides them with a supportive environment in which to grow up; it gives them a stability in their lives which they would not otherwise have. The boys home provides them with somewhere to live after the age of sixteen, when the orphanage can no longer house them, and at which point they either work - contributing to the costs of the home - or continue in education.
The dedication of the nuns who run the orphanage is truly inspiring and I hope to raise as much as I can to support their good work.
The orphanage does have it's own website, where you can find some more information: http://bosco_orphanage.tripod.com/index.htm
Jesuit Missions is the UK charity which is accepting my sponsorship money on behalf of the orphanage. As the money is being collected by a UK charity it also means that donations from UK taxpayers can benefit from gift aid - an extra 28% in tax will be added at no extra cost to the donor.
Many thanks for your support.
Julia