Yesterday my lovely wife Sarah came out on the trail with me, and she took some photos of me wearing the amazingly bright t-shirt the MS Society gave me to help promote their great charity during my trail marathon training! It was freezing cold and raining but that didn’t stop us…Until it proper chucked it down and we had to get home fast, lol! 💪🏼 😀
Tag Archives: Charity Fundraising
‘Steve’s Blindman Trail Marathon’ in memory of my mum Valerie ❤️
September 24, 2021 
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Hi all, this is the official release for my fundraising towards my brobdingnagian challenge…It’s exactly 7 calendar months until my trail marathon! 💪🏼
‘Steve’s Blindman Trail Marathon’ in memory of my mum Valerie ❤️
I’m planning to step off the sidelines again soon… this time in memory of my wonderful mum, Valerie who died after a 14 yr struggle with Multiple Sclerosis, in the same month that I was registered blind.
I’ve always wanted to do something positive to celebrate her life and as you may know, my lovely wife Sarah has just started work at the MS Society. I can think of no better time or charity to make my fundraising in memory wish come true and I can finally add my mums name to the MS Society fight to stop MS. 💪🏼
I know I’ll be stretching myself past my limits for this challenge and so your encouragement and support would really help me to keep my training on track. Any donation you can spare would build my morale and endurance so I can smash this and reach my £1,000 goal to make my mum proud.
Together we can be a force for change and BEAT MS
Steve’s Blindman Trail Marathon
Fundraising for Multiple Sclerosis SocietyIn Memory of my mum Valerie
Story…
Hi, I’ve chosen to raise funds for MS Society and I’d love everyone who kindly decides to support me and this amazing charity, to take a moment to remember my lovely Mum Valerie!
She spent so much of her too short life giving to me and my siblings before MS took her independence and eventually her life. This is why I’ve decided to give something positive back. I want her name and face to join the fight so that she can live on through the tireless work the MS Society is doing to find treatments that will stop MS for good. 💪🏼
My beautiful mum passed away from progressive MS, after a courageous and tiring 14 year battle, in July 2000.
As you may know I’ve been registered blind since I was 25. My sight loss happened in the same month my mum finally lost her life and missing her added misery to my own struggle to come to terms with the isolation and insecurities of managing my new life as a blind man.
And so…….
My Challenge…Sunday 24th April 2022
I originally planned to take part in an MS officially organised event but quickly realised that with my sight loss walking an unknown route amongst so many people would create too much external stimuli on my senses and be too confusing for me to manage without serious injury.
I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do the challenge at all but I’ve finally found a safe(ish) trail about 2.5 miles long, in the woods and past a lake near my home. I am hoping this will work well as my walking route, (I’ve now learned it enough to be able to follow it without guided help). I think this trail will work really well for me to do my trail marathon challenge … if I can manage to make my way safely around this uneven, hilly, rough terrain about 11 times! 😰
I’ve begun to realise, as I write about this challenge during the start of my training, that I’ve only managed 2 laps each time so far, after which I collapse, needing water and food, lol! I have no idea how I’m going to continue for 11 laps non-stop but I’ve got seven more months to build up my strength and endurance… I hope. 🙏
It’s slowly dawning on me that this challenge is going to include around 8 hours non-stop blind walking… Ouch that’s going to hurt and take a lot of concentration, mental effort, strength, energy and discipline. And so before I get time to change my mind, I’ve decided to create a JustGiving fundraising page and I’ve notified the MS Society…so no backing out now 🤣.
Please help me complete what feels like an impossible challenge in memory of my wonderful mum… because Together we are strong enough to beat MS. 💪🏼
You can follow my training over the next 7 months on my Fitblitz blog and I will use my apple watch to count the steps, miles and elevation etc of the challenge, uploading the screenshots to let you know of my adventures and celebrate with me if I finish, lol! 🙌
About Multiple Sclerosis Society
Over 130,000 of us in the UK have MS. It’s unpredictable and different for everyone. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We’re the MS Society. We understand what life’s like with MS. We’re here for you through the highs, lows and everything in between. Together, we are strong enough to stop MS.
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.
Click HERE for my JustGiving page.
QR Code for my JustGiving page:
Yay 50lb Weight Loss Badge!
October 25, 2020 1 Comment
Yay another fitness goal smashed! Being lighter will help me on my stupendous advent walking challenge…And won’t wear out my new trainers as fast! 🤣
💪🏼 Blindman 20,000 Steps, Every Day, For 24 Days This Advent Challenge!
October 21, 2020 0 Comments
An Advent For Change…❤️
Blindman 20,000 steps, every day, for 24 days (during advent 2020) for Blood Pressure UK! That’s around 240 miles!! 💪🏼
Hi friends!
I’ve chosen to raise funds this advent for Blood Pressure Uk. I want to help raise awareness of how vitally important it is that we all know what our blood pressure is and understand that we need to take action now to keep it at a healthy range and protect our hearts. I would love everyone who donates to me to “know their numbers!”. It will only take five minutes to get a check but could change everything and help you live much healthier and happier lives.
When I was 24 (and fully sighted) I had two brain haemorrhages that burst my optic nerve and left me blind due to Grade 4 severe hypertensive retinopathy (caused by my high blood pressure, that I’ve since discovered is something my family suffers with). So I can’t stress enough how important it is to be aware of this creeping death! Please don’t be complacent about your blood pressure, and if your numbers are too high please do something about it. I know I was very lucky to survive this silent killer…But you might not be”.
The Challenge…1st Dec – 24th Dec 2020…
I found a safe local road about half a mile long, near my home, that could work as my walking route (and I can follow without guided help). I then thought it would be great for me to do an ‘advent positive pressure challenge’ …and i’d only have to do 20 laps every day! 🤣 So I quickly set up this fundraising page and created a challenge that would raise funds and generate awareness for this very important message! 💪🏼😀
Then…It slowly dawned on me that this challenge will include walking nearly a half marathon a day for 24 days…Awww that’s going to hurt and take a lot of effort/strength/energy/discipline to complete. But before I had time to change my mind, i’d created this page and notified the charity…Please help me complete what feels like and impossible challenge, lol! 🤣
I’m using my Fitbit to count the steps, and upload the screenshots to keep you updated each day with my progress on here, and my other social media sites…
Follow me and my challenge and say hi! Facebook, Twitter Share and make everyone aware…😀
Blood Pressure UK…
Blood Pressure UK, is the UK charity dedicated to lowering the nation’s blood pressure to prevent disability and death from stroke and heart disease. Our vision is that everyone will know their blood pressure numbers, and take steps to keep them healthy both now and in the future. Funds raised from events like this make a huge difference to the work we can do, helping us to offer advice and support to more people, preventing strokes and heart attacks.
Know your numbers and help me to help others know theirs, thanks in advance – Steve.
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….DONATE NOW
I believe that the greatest gift you can give your loved ones and the world this Christmas…Is a healthier you! ❤️ 💪🏼 😀
🌻 Sarah’s 2.6 Sunflower Challenge! 🌻
April 25, 2020 0 Comments
Hi wordpress family! My lovely wife Sarah is planning to test her individualistic gardening style & love of sunflowers to raise money for charity. She really needs your loving encouragement and support for this floricultural challenge! Please read all about it below and join me in showing her the wordpress love. 😀
🌻 The 2.6 Sunflower challenge 🌻
As there is no London marathon this year in the UK due to the COVID19 lockdown many charities across the UK have decided to hold the 2.6 challenge to raise much needed funds.
The challenge celebrates the 26 miles that would have been covered by runners in the London marathon on the 26th April this year and I’ve decided to participate to support the amazing work of World Cancer Research Fund by planting 26 sunflower seeds. I’m hoping to grow 26 giant sunflowers to a staggering height of 2.6 metres each…. I will actually be happy if I manage to grow one over 2.6 feet with my unpredictable gardening skills… so this really is a challenge for me.
I will donate £26 to start the event (£1 per sunflower) and ask if you would like to join me by sponsoring a sunflower for yourself and naming it – I will add a label with your chosen name to your sunflower and will give weekly video updates so you can see just how quickly your sunflower is growing.
The first one to reach 2.6 metres will get a special prize… and remember all your kind donations will be going to support World Cancer Research Fund, who fund cancer prevention research to help more people live cancer free lives.
If you’d like to be part of my challenge and have your own sunflower, please click or scan the QR code below and let me know what name you want to give your sunflower in the message box, along with the donation you’d like to make
Together we can grow cancer prevention awareness….. and sunflowers! 🌻
Just open up the camera on your smart phone and point it at the QR code and it’ll take you directly to my fundraising page. Alternatively just click the QR code and it will link through too.
Please give me the incentive to look after the sunflowers properly by sponsoring and naming them….let the growing begin 🌻
Bananaman Is Back!! 🍌
September 16, 2018 0 Comments
Wow….Bananaman is back….I really enjoyed wearing the superhero suit and cheering on the excellent runners at the Richmond Half Marathon for World Cancer Research Fund UK! It was a fantastic day out with the team showing our appreciation for all of the wonderful fundraisers!
With only 27 days to go until my Tough Mudder and needing all of the cheering i can get…..I’ll see if i’m still laughing, lol. 😎
See also:
iChristian 
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