Dreams Come True
Helping seriously or terminally ill children achieve their dream.
Offa’s Dyke Charity Walk
Updates
Friday 22nd May 2009
We finally made it back at 3.50 PM on Friday to be greeted by the Mayor of Prestatyn and the local press. Walking with us on the last day was Peter Newman from Dreams Come True ,Stewart from Barclays and Alex our Dutch Friend we met on the walk, it was great to have their support for the final leg.
It was tough but enjoyable with some great memories. We did it in the 12 days and actually covered 201miles from home to home. Sheila did a fantastic job to keep going, for someone that does not like heights, going up or down hills it must have been doubly difficult. It was the thoughts of the support from all of you that kept us going over the mountains in the pouring rain.
Can I now please ask that those that offered to sponsor us and have not yet sent your donation to do so as soon as possible please so that we can get a final figure and get it paid to Dreams Come True. You can still donate on-line from the link, or if you wish or sent it to us at the store.
The latest figure is we have raised over £6000.
Thanking you all for your magnificent support
Richard & Sheila
Thursday 21st May 2009
Well we have delayed our start this morning for an hour or so as there has been a sudden heavy downpour. However, the weather is supposed to clear up a bit as the day goes on. We have 10 hours ahead of us today which includes trekking over Bodfari, our last major challenge of the walk! We had a lovely breakfast with Eleanor & John Rogers this morning while John played his classical guitar. What a fab place to stay!!
Tonight we shall be meeting with the team from Cash Converters and Peter Newman, Chief Executive of Dreams Come True Charity. The whole team will complete the final few miles with us in the morning.
Wednesday 20th May 2009
Well we have had another very successful walk today from Llangollen to Llandegla. We arrived late afternoon to stay at a fabulous little B&B owned by Eleanor and John Rogers. We have been made most welcome this afternoon with home made cake, tea and coffee. The walk today was not too bad, the weather is still a bit showery, but there is plenty of blue sky. We are now only 14 miles away from completing the Offa’s Dyke walk and feel elated. It is a tough walk ahead tomorrow with mountainous paths, but we should make it in about 10 hours.
Tuesday 19th May 2009
Feeling very positive today, despite the rainy weather, only 50 miles to go! We are walking with Alex a lovely Dutchman we met who will complete the walk with us and then stay with us while he walks up Snowdonia! Our spirits are very high and we are looking forward to reaching Llangollen this evening.
Monday 18th May 2009
Another lovely walk today. We dropped down into the Severn Valley and are feeling fabulous that we now have less than 70 miles to go. We are really looking forward to dinner in Welshpool!!
Day 6 & 7 (Saturday & Sunday)
What a lovely way to spend a weekend, Tricia and Rod (pictured) joined Sheila and I for the weekend. We walked from Knighton to Montegomery on Saturday, and on to Welshpool on Sunday and even included time to stop for a cracking Sunday lunch!
Well that’s a week completed and 107 miles, only 5 days and 70 miles left, I’ll be disappointed to finish (ha ha!) on to Oswestry tomorrow!
(Richard, Shelia, Tricia and Ron outside Buttington House.)
Day Five (Friday)
Kington to Knighton 14 miles, better weather and now we’re half way in our walk.
Day Three
We were joined today by Nathan Sermon, a Business Development Manager from Cash Converters for our walk from Pandy to Hay-on-Wye.
17 miles in 7 hours and almost all of it walking in low clouds and pouring rain, not too cold though, but soaking wet after walking along a 13 mile ridge; glad to reach Hay-On-Wye, a hot meal and hopefully a pint courtesy of Nathan! will perk us up again.
Tomorrow a short walk to Kington.
(Nathan Sermon joins us)
Day Two
Scott Taylor from Computers 4 all joined Richard and Sheila for their first leg, 18 miles in 9 hours of good, but windy weather; a little sore and aching a bit.
Monmouth to Pandy tomorrow, about the same distance.
(Photos below were taken on a mobile phone camera, so we apologise for the poor quality.)
(Left: Setting off on day one. Right: End of the first day).
Day One
“The Addison’s left their house at 9.45am on Sunday to walk the two miles to Prestatyn Station where they met Miss Prestatyn, before catching the train to Chepstow. Lauren, Miss Prestatyn, was there to wave them off on their 176 mile long journey in aid of the charity which fulfills the dreams of terminally and seriously ill children.
Upon reaching Chepstow Richard and Sheila will begin the Offa’s Dyke walk home which they hope will take them just 12 days.
Joy Williams, Chair of the Prestatyn Carnival Association and who arranged the Station send off said: “Richard and Sheila have taken on a real challenge to complete the Offa’s Dyke in 12 days and have been committed to their training to ensure they complete the walk. We are very pleased to be able to support them both and give them a proper send off. Richard and Sheila have already raised over £6,000 for the national charity in sponsorship”
Thank you to David Francis Photography for the pictures
Rhyl Store Owner Will Take the Long Way Home for Children’s Charity
Richard Addison and his wife Sheila are in full training to take on the challenge of the Offa’s Dyke in May to raise money for our chosen charity, Dreams Come True.
Stretching from Sedbury Cliffs to Prestatyn, the Offa’s Dyke path crosses the border between England and Wales no fewer than 19 times and will take 12 days to walk. Richard and Sheila will take the train down to Sedbury on Sunday 10 May and then begin the long walk home; a distance of some 177 miles crossing over 600 stiles en route.
We know times are hard, no more so than for the charities and the people they help. So what better time is there to do something worthwhile?
We have set ourselves a stiff challenge, not only on the walk but also contacting all the companies and individuals we know to ask them for their support.
Our target is to raise £5,000 …. we need your help!
Latest Update
We now have over £4000 pledged which is fantastic news and down to the generous support of many of you!
Richard and Sheila are hoping their challenge will help many more children across North Wales to have their dreams fulfilled.
“After living so close to one end of the Offa’s Dyke for nearly 20 years, we wanted to do this as a personal challenge. At the same time we’ve seen the difference Dreams Come True makes to both the children and their families and want to do our bit to raise money,” said Richard.
“On our first training walk we realized just how tough this challenge will be, but we are determined to do this together”
“We’re calling for people to get in touch with Dreams Come True and tell them about a child that they feel deserves a dream in North Wales. The charity has helped over 4,000 children with life-threatening and long-term illnesses over the past 20 years and we want to make sure all those children in our area are aware of the help and support they can receive”
The husband and wife team are aiming to do two long distance walks a week in the lead up to the challenge as part of their training and estimate they will need to walk for 90 full hours to complete the distance.
Peter Newman, chief executive at Dreams Come True said: “Richard and Sheila are taking on a real challenge but with the effort they are putting into training I have no doubt that they will complete the walk. They are also passionate about raising money to fulfill the dreams of terminally and seriously ill children and I hope that loads of people will support their amazing fundraising expedition.”
If you would like to sponsor Richard and Sheila click here
For information about Dreams Come True visit www.dctc.org.uk or call 01730 815 000
Golf Day 2009
Chief executive of the charity, Peter Newman, was at the event along with 20 year old Shane Reason from Telford who had his dream fulfilled by the charity after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease.
Dreams Come True fulfils the dreams of terminally and seriously ill children. After enduring months of treatment, Dreams Come True came to his aid. The money raised by the Cash Converters Market Drayton golf day last year provided him with a much-needed laptop computer so he could stay in touch with his family and friends.
Shane said: “I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the people at the golf day. It was just fantastic to see so many people taking part in aid of Dreams Come True so that many other children can be helped in the months to come.”
Despite no-one being lucky enough to walk away with the Hole-in-One prize of a brand new Mazda MX5, put up by Furrows Mazda of Shrewsbury, the 19 teams of four all enjoyed the stunning course and superb weather.
Nathan Sermon, Cash Converters business development manager, who organised the event and who lives in Lilleshall, said: “I am so pleased that we were able to beat last year’s total and by so much, especially with Shane there to show what this money can do.
“We had fantastic weather for golf and I am very grateful to all the teams that played and dug deep in their pockets. We were also very lucky to secure the support of some generous sponsors such as Western Union, Logbook Loans and Graham Pearce. I’d like to say a big thank you for all of their support. It is only with their help that we are now able to help many more children like Shane.”
Cash Converters has raised over £70,000 for the charity over the last 18 months. Stores across the UK have held fundraising activities, sold merchandise in store and the company has held an online auction as well as a charity ball.
Peter Newman said “Cash Converters has done an amazing job to arrange yet another brilliant fundraising event. In the current climate it is even more difficult to raise vital funds and we are very thankful to Cash Converters, the teams on the day and their sponsors for all of their efforts. ”
For more information contact Catherine Reid or Jennifer Pearce at Remarkable Group on 01962 893 893 or Catherine.reid@remarkablegroup.co.uk
The 2nd Cash Converters Charity Golf Day, aid of Dreams Come True, takes place on Friday 29th May at Market Drayton Golf Club in Shropshire. Last years event raised a fantastic £10,000 which helped make the Dreams Come True for 6 children, suffering from serious or terminal illness. This year we are hoping to surpass this, and have added to the format, which this year includes.
- Srixon Golf Gifts
- Dan Sketcher Golf Trick Show
- Charity Drive Off and chance to Win an LCD television
- 20 team Stableford Competition
- Remarkable PR Group Sponsored Hole in One Competition with a chance to win a Brand New Mazda MX-5 Courtesy of Furrows Telford
- Western Union Money Transfer Sponsored Nearest the Pin Competitions
- Wiregolf Beat The Pro Challenge
- Srixon Longest Drive Clinic
- Log Book Loans Sponsored Longest Drive down the 18th
- 3 Course Meal Sponsored By Western Union Money Transfer
- Cash Converters Sponsored Prize Presentation
- Peter Newman Dreams Come True CEO
- Charity Auction Sponsored by GPS Shopfitting Services
Sponsorship opportunities still remain for business wishing to support this event. In addition we would also be grateful for any generous donations that we can auction following the golf. All supporters will be acknowledged via the Cash Converters and Dreams Come True Website, with opportunity to link to their own sites. PR via Remarkable PR Company, and all event programs, including all event day material
- £300 Event Sponsorship
The Charity Auction which follows the Golf, Sponsored BY GPS Shopfitting Services, has already attracted Sporting Memorabilia including
- Nick Price Framed Montage including Glove, Picture, Shirt, cap and ball, all signed and sent personally by Nick price
- Nick Price Framed and Signed Golf Cap
- Phil Tufnell Signed and framed Mini Cricket bat and Ball
- Signed Hampshire County Cricket Club Short
- Boxing Gloves signed and personally sent by Boxing legend Henry Cooper along with a signed photograph from his fight with Cassius Clay
- Assorted Sporting Memorabilia Generously donated by KW Services
- Signed Manchester United, donated by the Manchester United Foundation
- Limited Edition Graeme Baxter Golf Prints, donated by Baxter Prints
To register interest in any area, please contact Nathan Sermon,Business Development Manager,Cash Converters (UK) Limited, 07966 143990 nathan.sermon@cashconverters.net
We have already confirmed a number of sponsors and supporters of the event and would like to take this opportunity acknowledge the generous support of this worthy Charity.
Thanks to Our Sponsors:
Total Electronics SecurityCash Converters would also like to thank the following people and companies for their sponsorship:
- Keith Woodford
- Richard Pilgrim (Cash Converters Corporate Stores)
- Ben Cox (Cash Converters Yorkshire)
- Richard Addison (Cash Converters Rhyl)
- Manchester United Foundation
- Celtic Manor Resort
- Nike
- Richard Jenkinson (Hole Sponsorship)
- Gary White (Hole Sponsorship)
- Paul Bell (Hole Sponsorship)
- Dave Diston (Refreshments Sponsorship)
After the golf and the meal, there will be an auction of the following items, all proceeds will go to the charity: -
Framed and Signed Manchester United Shirt. Signed By Club Captain Gary Neville & generously Donated by the Manchester United Foundation. Certificate of Authenticity is supplied by MUFC once bidder has been confirmed.
DONATED BY MANCHESTER UNITED
Four Ball at the Celtic Manor resort for either the Montgomerie or Roman Road Course. Celtic Manor is the home of the 2010 Ryder Cup. Make this into a weekend break and play the 2010 course as well!
DONATED BY CELTIC MANOR RESORT
Fourball at Lingfield Park followed by an Afternoon/Evening Racing
DONATED BY PHILLIP PRIDE
Nick Price Montage Superb framed Montage of Signed Nick Price memorabilia. Cap , Shirt, Glove, picture and ball all personally signed and sent for the Charity day. Nick Price Signed Photo
DONATED BY NICK PRICE
Signed Photo of Turnberry Open Winner Nick Price.
DONATED BY ROGER WARREN
Turnberry Golf prints 2 Limited Golf prints from a collection from Grame Baxter, renowned painter of golf courses and scenery. Of this years open venue - Turnberry.
DONATED BY BAXTER GOLF PRINTS
Tiger Woods Limted Edition print TBC
DONATED BY RICHARD ADDISON
Deinham Print
DONATED BY BEN COX
Henry Cooper Gloves & Henry Cooper Signed by Boxing Legend Henry Cooper & Casisus Clay Black & White Picture Signed by Boxing Legend Henry Cooper….may put the two together
DONATED BY THE REMARKABLE GROUP
Nike Driver
DONATED BY NIKE EUROPE
Srixon Shark Golf bag and Holdall & Srixon 3 Wood
DONATED BY RUSSELL CLEWES
Real Madrid Pennant Framed and Signed By Real legends, Raul, Beckham, Ronaldo, Figo & One other.
DONATED BY RICHARD PILGRIM
Maradona Signed Shirt Framed Argentina Shirt Signed by Maradona, manager of Argentina
DONATED BY RICHARD PILGRIM
Kevin Pieterson Signed Shirt Ex England Captain and Ashes hero Kevin Pieterson Signed Official England Shirt & Kevin Pieterson Mini Cricket bat DONATED BY THE REMARKABLE GROUP
Phill Tufnell Signed Mini Bat & Ball Framed and Signed Mini Bat and ball, by Cricketer Phil Tufnell
DONATED BY DREAMS COME TRUE
Nick Price Cap Nicely Framed and Signed Cap from Turnberry Open Winner Nick price
DONATED BY NICK PRICE