Oliver Briars
Oliver Briars's Fundraising Page
Fundraising for Railway Children
Story
I'm sure I've bored half of you to death by telling you about this expedition over and over again, but for those of you who have escaped I'll just give a small summary. Basically, I'm specialising in Indian history at Edinburgh university and I was horrified that the 150th anniversary of the Great Indian Uprising (or Mutiny if you want to be controversial) passed by almost unnoticed last summer. It was an incredibly monumental event and thousands and thousands of completely innocent people died in the most horrific ways imaginable. Furthermore, it was an event that is crucially important to the subsequent history of both India and Britain. Despite this, almost no-one knows about it, so I have decided to raise awareness and understanding for it by organising an expedition this summer. Throughout June I shall be horseriding across part of Northern India, from Shimla to Delhi. It is an exact replication of the route the British Army took as it came steaming down from its summer retreat in the Himalayas to recapture Delhi from the rebels. I'm doing it by horse to make it as realistic as possible, mirroring the way in which the Delhi Field Force travelled.
Anyway, as I didn't want the expedition to be purely academic I decided that it presented a fantastic opportunity to raise money for something worthy. I wanted to do something for India and stumbled across the Railway Children charity. It is a fairly small organisation which does a huge amount to help as many of the homeless children in India as possible. There were an estimated 11 million street children in India in 1994, a figure which will have gone through the roof by now. I must apologise for the picture i've put up - it's unashamedly designed to tug at your heart-strings! Nevertheless, I honestly believe it's an incredibly worthy cause. The charity provides shelter, education, food and protection for thousands of homeless children across India. I must stress that the expedition will not be half as much fun as it sounds - it's over 250 miles across terribly rough terrain. The heat will be inhumanely scorching, with temperatures likely to reach 40-45 degrees on the plains. It absolutely isn't some kind of equestrian jolly - just me, a guide, a couple of horses and some 19th century style tents!
Anyway, I would appreciate it enormously if you would sponsor me by donating absolutely anything to the Railway Children. Every single penny you donate goes straight to the charity itself. I can't stress enough what a good cause it is, and how grateful I am for any help. Thank you so, so much for helping,
Ollie
(Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: The Railway Children will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.)
Anyway, as I didn't want the expedition to be purely academic I decided that it presented a fantastic opportunity to raise money for something worthy. I wanted to do something for India and stumbled across the Railway Children charity. It is a fairly small organisation which does a huge amount to help as many of the homeless children in India as possible. There were an estimated 11 million street children in India in 1994, a figure which will have gone through the roof by now. I must apologise for the picture i've put up - it's unashamedly designed to tug at your heart-strings! Nevertheless, I honestly believe it's an incredibly worthy cause. The charity provides shelter, education, food and protection for thousands of homeless children across India. I must stress that the expedition will not be half as much fun as it sounds - it's over 250 miles across terribly rough terrain. The heat will be inhumanely scorching, with temperatures likely to reach 40-45 degrees on the plains. It absolutely isn't some kind of equestrian jolly - just me, a guide, a couple of horses and some 19th century style tents!
Anyway, I would appreciate it enormously if you would sponsor me by donating absolutely anything to the Railway Children. Every single penny you donate goes straight to the charity itself. I can't stress enough what a good cause it is, and how grateful I am for any help. Thank you so, so much for helping,
Ollie
(Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: The Railway Children will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.)