Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.  I turned 40 in December and, to mark the occasion, instead of having a party or a holiday, I've decided to use the money to join a group of others on a visit to Uganda in June to see the work of Medcare, a charity we know and support.  I will get to meet Brenda, a 12 year old Ugandan girl who our family has sponsored for the past few years, visit some of the villages where the charity focuses its attention and the children there who the charity helps and also help one of the charity's current projects, Noeline's Home.  So this request is to ask you to part with your hard-earned cash to raise additional funds for the charity to help me celebrate (or commiserate with me) turning 40.

My firm's charitable trust has kindly agreed to match the funds I raise and, with that match funding, I'd love to raise £2,000, which would build a new house for Steven and his grandmother.  Steven is a 7 year old boy with cerebral palsy who sits alone in their current shack all day long while his grandmother goes out to try to earn money for food.  If we raise enough for that new house, I hope to be able to paint it while I'm out there.  With such an ambitious target, I felt that I had to go big on the event and do something that was completely out of character, so I've signed up to do Tough Mudder Midlands on 20 May, an 11-12 mile run through mud and other delights with many interesting obstacles along the way!  Those who know me know what a dedicated couch-potato I am, that I'm most comfortable behind my lap top or desk and how painful I will find this event. You'll know how my recently-started 5km Parkruns are destroying me and will appreciate how much of a challenge the race will be for me, so please find it in your hearts to dig deep and give generously for this great cause.  I know how many demands you'll already have on your money, so I don't take this request lightly.  Every penny raised on this page goes straight to Medcare and, over in Uganda, even £10 goes a really long way.

Medcare is a registered charity dedicated to serve the children in Uganda, providing them with a lifeline in the face of extreme poverty, which results in poor living conditions, unclean water, malnutrition and neglect.  One of the charity's current projects is raising the funds for and building a new home for Noeline, a disabled Ugandan woman who cares for up to 35 abandoned or orphaned disabled children in a small home with only 4 rooms and a kitchen.  Noeline’s children suffer from cerebral palsy, physical deformities, deafness, blindness, AIDS, neglect and progressive illnesses.  The present home is overcrowded with no special facilities, children sleeping on 3 tier bunks or on the floor.  The toilets are unhygienic and the play area is uneven and dangerous for the children to play on.  The new home will provide much improved facilities and additional land for self-sufficiency farming.  £7,000 has already been raised to purchase the land but a further £50,000 is required to complete the build.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.