Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

We took Patch and Tigger in after paying a visit to the Blue Cross sanctuary in Torquay. We were impressed with how well the cats were looked after, much more than just food and shelter - the staff at Blue Cross really make their temporary guests welcome and ensure that they get company and affection too whilst they are waiting to be homed.

We thought the Blue Cross could do with some help in funding and continuing the excellent work they do and decided that we would do a Marathon on the indoor rowing machine to help out!

I'll be rowing the Marathon, with Tammy there rowing next to me for morale support. It'll probably take me about 3 hours and a few blisters and sweat along the way. I'm really not known for long distance! I won a Silver Medal in the 500m sprint at the 2009 English Indoor Rowing Championships, but until recently had never rowed much more than 5km in one go. 42,195m now seems very very scary!

We hope you find our cause worthy and that our "Mad Marathon" inspires you to donate - every penny counts so don't worry about how much, just as much as you feel you'd like to help out with.

We plan to row the "Mad Marathon" on Thursday 10th September 2009 and will update here on how things go! Start time is estimated at 5.30pm - can't start any later as the gym shuts at 9pm!!!

Update - managed to do a half marathon on 21st August in 1 hour 26 mins. That was hard, and I've got to do two of those in a row without a rest - MAD!!!

UPDATE - I did it!

Started at 5.30pm and found the first hour ok. The second hour was a bit hard and the last section was a killer! Very uncomfortable on the bum and lower back but with a bit of help from some gym members rowing next to me in relay type legs helped me to get to the end. It took 3 hours, 8 minutes and 16 seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gy-SLWcIRo - video of the end

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/6343/sdc13457.jpg - photo of me afterwards, looking very tired!

More details in my blog: http://grahamlay.blogspot.com

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now - here's a list of how your money will help:

How your money can help

·        It costs £216 to care for a dog during its stay in one of our adoption centres (35 days on average)

·        £186 to care for a cat during its stay in one of our adoption centres (45 days on average)

·         £150 pays for a folding cage to transport pets to hospital in one of our in animal ambulances

·        It costs £80 to provide the veterinary care needed by a cat during its stay in one of our adoption centres

·        £80 buys a stethoscope for use in our hospitals and mobile clinics

·         It costs £50 to neuter a dog

·        £25 covers the cost of vaccinating kittens against life-threatening diseases

·        £13 pays for a fleecy-lined cat bed to help cats feel at home

·        £5 pays for a microchip to ensure pets can be reunited with their owners if they get lost

·         £4 to provides a life-saving intravenous drip for a sick pet in one of our animal hospitals

·        It costs £2.69p a day to keep pets comfortable, safe and warm in our adoption centres

 

Therefore, the £1000 target will pay for 1 year's care for 1 pet - let's see if we can raise that amount.