Congratulations Belles

We had this lovely letter from Helen & Douglas House. Perhaps it will inspire others to do something similar, sponsor us a little bit more (and/or us Belles to take on another challenge next year!). Here it is (thank you Helen):

Congratulations

Congratulations for completing your South Downs Cycle- I hope all the Pollicott Belles enjoyed the adventure! Please accept my apologies for the delay in sending this e-mail, there have been a few change overs in our team and this seemed to have slipped through the net until now.

I enjoyed reading over your blog and the amount the team has raised is truly amazing. I can see from your Justgiving page that you actually doubled the intended fundraising target, which is absolutely brilliant! To give you all some idea how this donation could be put to good use it would be enough to employ a Care Team member for nearly three weeks. This is a vital contribution as it allows us to continue providing the one to one care that is so essential for the children and young people that visit us here. It allows all their medical needs to be taken care of, as well as helping them to participate in different activities that they might not be able to at home.

I would also like to take this opportunity to invite you and the other ‘belles’ to our annual Open Day on September 10th. Both the houses are open from 10am-4pm with plenty of music and entertainment for the whole family. If you would like further details do let me know.

Thank you for the generous support of the Pollicott Belles your donation really will make a huge difference to the children and young people that visit Helen & Douglas House.

With best wishes,
Helen Cordiner
Fundraising Administration & Support Officer

On June 10/11/12 the Pollicott Belles will ride again...

Setting a date could be a bigger challenge than them there hills of the south themselves. Aside from a small matter of training, it takes a surprising amount of planning and effort to get four gals, four bikes and four sets of kit ready to do a long distance cycle ride so planning has started early.

We need support for home life commitments, travel and logistics on route so on one very chilly Winter evening last week we were looking forward to the sunshine of early Summer:

• Several diaries were carefully consulted and coordinated
• The Trainline.com was checked and checked again
• Car capacities were investigated
• Budget accommodation options were identified
• Follow up negotiation was agreed to be had with employers

Finally with all threads pulled together our window of opportunity was narrowed down to 10/11/12 June 2011 and it cannot be weather permitting!

Whatever the weather, we four Belles are travelling to Winchester by train on Thursday 9th June. We will be staying at the City Mill YHA at the start of the South Downs Way. We will be setting off on our mission AM Friday 10th June and finishing as early as possible on Sunday 12th June. We are still not sure how we will get home yet but several options are identified.

Last year we had a fabulous, pick up and drop, luggage service from our 'boys' but this year, due to life commitments, we are having to err on the side of the possible need for self-sufficiency. The plan is to pack one pannier each - one! Luggage priorities will be puncture repair and maintenance equipment, first aid kit, wet weather gear, phones and snacks. So clean knickers, toothbrushes and deodorant will be a luxury it seems.  And, definitely NO 'going out gear' or make-up (imagine!). Hope remains that someone will take pity on us and offer to meet us on route with (at least) a change of undies!

There is a lot of effort going into our adventure so please, if you can, support us in our efforts. Ideally help us raise some hard cash for Helen & Douglas House. Which brings me on nicely to remind you that next week is Ashendon Bingo night (8pm, 3rd March, Gatehangers Ashendon) and we are hopeful for an even bigger result than the last one.

And that's a fact...

Plenty of people take on challenges for charity and, compared to some, the South Downs Way may feel a little tame. Remember this however: we are busy girls with busy lives, squeezing our training in around careers, families, horses, voluntary policing, regular injury and bad weather. Also remember Alex had never cycled until the very end of 2009. On top of that the South Downs Way is no walk in the park - it's long, there are hills and pleny of distractions along the way.

Then, please put the following facts into that context and give us a little credit - you can do that at: www.justgiving.com/pollicottbelles2011 or at one of our forthcoming events.

The South Downs Way National Trail starts at City Mill, Winchester and finishes at the Western End of Eastbourne Promenade. I'm not sure we'll be up to promenading at the end.

How Far? The South Downs Way is 100 miles long  - we Belles have a slight advantage because the bridleway route is 4 miles shorter (though navigational error is bound to sort that out).

How High? in total there is 13,600 foot of ups (and downs) - we are currently climbing 170 foot on a typical training ride - so in 2 days we will be doing that 80 times over! Butser Hill at 900ft and Ditchling Beacon at 814ft will be the killers. A little (a lot) more hill training is needed methinks.



The elevation Profile of one of our training routes

  

The  elevation Profile of the South Downs Way

How Long will it Take? On average it takes 3 days to complete the South Downs Way on a bike - we have to complete it in 2 days (2 half days and one full day).

The Sights? Winchester Cathedral, Chanctonbury Ring, Devils Dyke, Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age monuments, Long Man of Wilmington, Seven Sisters, Beachy Head, blue butterflies and all 14 of Andy Goldsworthy’s strategically erected chalk stones (which start at Cocking) sorry!

The sights will be the subject of more blogs so please come back to learn more about our ride and training.

ello, ello, ello - what have we 'ere then?

Well, we had all agreed that it was about time I should introduce myself and start contributing to the blog - having taken up the very kind offer of becoming the 4th Pollicott Belle during the summer months! My name is Amber, I'm 19 and although strictly speaking I'm not a 'Pollicott Belle' (as I live 5 minutes down the road in Westcott) I'm a cousin of Vicky's other half, so have known Vic, Sian and Alex for years now.

My involvement with the Belle's started back in April/May time when I had taken up a bit of running in preparation for a fitness test to join the Police as a Special Constable. After successfully getting through the bleep test and weights, I decided that, (contrary to my previous belief) I quite enjoyed this exercise lark, and so Sian took lead role of Mrs Motivator by inviting me to join the Belles on various cycles over the summer months. I jumped at the chance, dusted my bike off and since then I've been joining in with training as often as I can. Having heard the stories and seen the pictures from their first challenge for Macmillan Cancer Support in June, I realised that all of the hard work the Belles had put in had paid off and they really had all enjoyed it. As well as being very proud to call them all friends, I was now convinced that I would love to be involved in doing something so challenging for a great cause.

When Sian, Alex and Vicky told me that the chosen charity for the 2011 challenge was going to be Helen and Douglas House, I have to admit that although I'd heard of them, I wasn't entirely sure of what it was that they did. So, I jumped straight onto the Internet and did some research. After reading several stories and browsing over their website I was so excited that we'd be doing something to contribute to the truly amazing work that the hospice does to help terminally ill children. It's given me more motivation and since then I've continued with cycling and running, am half a stone lighter (and will hopefully be more so by the time we start off for the challenge) and honestly cannot wait until the weather picks back up and we can go full steam ahead into preparation and more fundraisers.

Lastly, just a big thanks to all of the 3 Belles for inviting me in, waiting for me at the tops of more than a few killer hills and being so supportive! I hope everyone has a great Christmas, and no doubt the blog will be hearing more from me in the near future :-)

Amber.

And the 2011 Pollicott Belles Cycle Challenge is....

The South Downs Way - another ancient route where we will ‘experience some of the finest countryside great views, attractive wildlife, visible prehistory, fine pubs and pretty villages.

The 160 kilometre (100 mile) South Downs Way follows the old routes and drove ways along the chalk escarpment and ridges of the South Downs, between Winchester, the first capital of England, and the white chalk cliffs of Eastbourne. It’s promising to be another Pollicott Belles classic event.

We have thought very long, and very hard, about our charity this year. Macmillan Cancer Support remains close to our hearts. We have all witnessed the wonderful care and advice their nurses have given to special friends. We know it’s a charity people are pleased and proud to support. We love our green T-Shirts and we very much like the fundraising team in Launton. And yet, though we will all personally continue to support Macmillan, we have decided to focus our joint energies this year on a charity that is close to home.

Why? Alex was the catalyst – she placed a leaflet on the table and told us about the man who had inspired her to think about supporting a local charity (more about him from Alex in a later blog).

And so, we have registered as fundraisers for Helen & Douglas House and we intend to raise £1000 for this fabulous local charity. We know it's going to be harder in many ways but we also know we can help to make a difference in difficult lives.

Coincidentally, I have supported Helen & Douglas House ever since I heard the founder - Sister Frances Dominica – telling her story and I was captivated by her (again another blog). Every Christmas Andy, Joe and I dress as Santa's and run round Oxford.  We even starred on their 2009 Christmas card. So it wasn't a difficult decision for me to support them some more. And, guess what Alex and Vicky will be roped in to do this year!!

Helen & Douglas House provide hospice care for children and young adults. They provide respite and end of life care for children and young adults with life-shortening conditions, as well as support and friendship for the whole family. On their website is a list of useful resources - I looked at it thinking it would have a logo and it's not that sort of resource - it's a list of other charities and support groups for parents dealing with the horror of a very ill child. That brought home to me just how fragile life is and how lucky we all are to be fit and healthy enough to do the things we do.

There is a marvellous story to tell about the work at the 2 houses and we will tell it as our blog unfolds. In the meantime we ask you all to support us through our training, fundraising events and the challenge itself and help us to raise £1000 once again.

£1500 - Ya Hoo...

The Ridgeway Challenge seems a bit dim and distant now: our legs and bums have recovered, our bruises and cuts are healed, and yet still the money rolls in. Today a pledged £20 was given to me at work and it means we finally hit £1500 - 150% of our target.

Over the next few weeks Alex, Vicky and I will blog our personal recollections of the Ridgeway experience and then we will be announcing our 2011 challenge. I tell you it's well worth watching this space!!

Thank you all - your support will have already made a very real difference to people who need it now.

A Recipe for Fundraising Success

You will need:

• 48 People

• 2 Chefs
• A large dash of wine
• Plenty of nibbles
• Generous to a fault raffle prizes
• Clare Cook enterprises!!

In the heat of the moment our 2 chefs conjured up some truly amazing pro vs. pamp 'ready steady cook' style dishes that just had to be tasted:

• PRO - John Rimmer - the legendary head chef from The Lambert Arms, Lewknor turned out not one, but two exceptional mains - Pan Fried Salmon with a cream and leek sauce (sod the roux - see below) and Poached Salmon with sautéed new potatoes, cherry tomatoes and courgette. Followed by a date sponge to die for.
• PAMP - Clare Cook - the tireless pampered chef from Ashendon put up an exceptional challenge with her Carbonara Pizza followed by Waffleberry Pudding.

The competition hotted up as Gill Walker got to work with the big chopper. John responded with a glimpse of his shallots and Clare upped the stakes with her turkey baster and soured cream. Hilarious!

On a more serious note, John shared a few tips with us like:

•  Put a couple of teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda in cabbage to keep the green colour strong
•  Place salmon in the (very hot) pan away from you so the oil doesn't spit back
•  Don't bother with a roux sauce - use butter and cream instead

We can't thank our support crew enough for their hard work and efforts. Derek Hedges pitched chef vs. chef as compére extrodinaire. Pam Rand toiled away at the bar and the kitchen sink, to keep the evening on a perfect pitch. Jean Tippet demonstrated outstanding raffle salespersonship (helped by all who donated the very generous raffle prizes) and Paparazzi Peter (Johnson) who snapped away incessantly to capture the many moments of the evening - see below for some of these.

Then finally thanks to everyone for coming along, joining in the madness and handing over your hard earned cash so willingly. We love you. Latest (and almost final) fundraising result is £350 to be split equally between The Pollicott Belles Ridgeway Cycle for Macmillan Cancer Support and Edward Cook's Mount Kilimanjaro Trek for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

A Crash and More Cash...

Tuesday evening saw what will hopefully be the first of many evening rides now that the nights are lighter. We whizzed round the Ashendon, Dorton, Chilton, Chearsley circuit in just over an hour but it wasn't without incident.

Incident 1 - the CRASH
Poor Vicky took a big tumble when her wheel dropped down the edge of the road. It all happened so quickly. One minute she was leading the pack and setting a really good pace, next the noise of skidding on gravel was followed by the sight of Vicky lying on the road. There were two lucky breaks:

1. Isalda made an impressive swerve and
2. No cars were coming so Vicky wasn't hit by anything other than the road when she landed.

Vicky picked herself up and, despite a cut knee, grazed and swollen lip, sore hands (thank goodness for cycling gloves though) and injured pride, she cycled on undeterred with her usual good humour. You are a True Blue Belle and we are proud of you.

But...damn the state of our roads and, in particular, damn the drivers who think it's OK to drive over banks and churn up the verges which eventually caused the road edges to collapse and great big gaps to appear between the bank and the road edge. We need protection - which brings me nicely on to...

Incident 2 - the Men in Black
At Chilton club a mini bus full of young men in high spirits was unloading - that looked fun - then we saw the brand new, shiny, black saab parked outside, with men in dark glasses and smart jackets. Only one obvious reason for them to be there - body guards - so whose party was it? Well probably our little, jumped up, friend with the bashed up Ka and posh driveway/footpath (not bridleway) from Nether Winchendon House will know!

Who cares anyway - there is something more important yet to mention...

CASH
This week our efforts are so well rewarded - the wonderful ladies of Ashendon WI held a raffle at their monthly meeting to help us in our fundraising. They raised an impressive £32 for Macmillan Cancer Support. You are fantastic ladies because every penny raised goes towards a positive reality - £17.50 will pay for one more member of a cancer support group to go on a social event with other support group members. AWI - with your help we are now perilously close to achieving our target before even starting our Ridgeway adventure.

Proud to Be Macmillan

Yesterday we wore our Macmillan Cancer Care T-Shirts with pride as we took a short training trip up and down Pollicott. All agreed that green is a great colour and this is cycle wear to be seen in.

Our learning to cycle expert, Alex, experienced her first gear change, managed a very slick turn at the top of Pollicott (thank goodness no cars turned into the lane) and kept her place in the line up as we cruised back down the road.

Oooh, lots of great stuff seems to have happened since my very first blog entry. One very important thing (given I'm about to raise money by riding a bike) is that I've been out looking for a bike - probably a minimum requirement for the task in hand....but. This is serious stuff, a good time to remember why it's all happening and a good time to say a big thank you to our supporters to date.

Sian has already mentioned my lovely sons contribution from his 18th birthday party - Pollicott is particularly proud of its ability to take innuendo to a new level.

Imogen and Jessica for their fantastic fundraising effort - if Jessica ever decides to make a career in sales watch out - 'no' is not an option. Thanks Jessica - you were a star!

Kirsten and Steve have been great. Showing uncompromised confidence in my ability to conquer the challenge ahead they wasted no time in buying me a cycle helmet. Not sure the stabiliser wheels will work over the Ridgeway though!!

I'll leave it at that for now but there are some people along the way I really need to bring in, some close and valued family and friends whose lives have been affected by cancer. Our adventure next year will be great fun, shared with people I have come to love, but we'll never forget the reason we're doing it. This is for them. Alex xx