UPDATED TOTAL- Charity Walk Completed!

Kym and Jamie completed their 80 mile charity walk for Ronald McDonald Houses earlier this month. They have currently raised £2,047 and have therefore exceeded their amended target of £2,000, which itself was double their original goal.

 

Kym’s daily blogs, reproduced below, provide the highlights of their four days walking:

 

Day 1 blog: I’ve seen Wembley Stadium, Regents Park, Grenfell Tower (so sad), nesting moorhens with chicks and swans with cygnets, a green woodpecker, some handsome dogs (shame about some of the owners) and a lorry driver about 3ft away mount the pavement and take out a bollard (male naturally)! I’ve learned that London cyclists are rude and my efforts to teach them manners whilst amusing for me, were largely wasted, Jamie can’t multi task and his attempts to look at his glasses while holding a drink meant that I would end up wearing it! I’ve learned that Billie-Marie is back in Alder Hey which has made us more determined and that there are a lot of generous people out there, thank you so much to everyone who has donated. Day 1 done we’re on our way home tired and dirty. Day 2 starts at 7am tomorrow as we had to cut today a little shorter than planned because Jamie somehow has managed to lock his lovely wife Naomi out of their home!

 

Day 2 blog: Tough today as the heat made it hard! Today we’ve seen 3 herons, a red kite and a couple of guys appearing to be picking nits from each other’s hair! It was a more picturesque walk today along the canal path, a lot less pavement pounding. Well-mannered cyclists, friendly people except one rude guy at Watford where we also saw the days first builders bum and thankfully the only one! Is that really necessary? Must be quite uncomfortable and draughty! Jamie is suffering nasty blisters today and I have put the blister pack “in a safe place” but can’t remember where! Sorry J! Our other silly moment was forgetting to pay for parking in Northampton! Oops! Half way through now time wise though a few more miles to cover the next 2 days so early start tomorrow for day 3! We can do this!!

 

Day 3 blog: Off to an early start today at Tring. As my back and shoulders are surprisingly sorer than anything else I’ve decided to ditch the back pack, use a bum bag and let Jamie carry the weight! Not sure this look will catch on again so may try to up the game tomorrow and rock in socks and sandals as well! The new waist attire has taken a soaking with Jamie’s 2nd throw of a drink over me as has my phone! Today I’ve seen the most beautiful countryside and my senses have been assaulted by the less pleasant aromas that come with it! I’ve seen horses running together, a couple of boat cats, stunning wildlife and a doberman belly flop into the canal to chase geese which naturally flew away leaving the dog unable to get back out again! Help was at hand and all ended well but it was funny. Everyone we’ve met has been lovely despite Jamie’s groans of pain about his blisters! In fairness they are really bad poor lad. My legs are feeling it now but we’re almost there and I’m determined to finish even if I do so on my hands and knees.

Day 4 blog: Off to an early start again and just finished! Woohoo 80 miles over 4 days completed with lots of laughs and groans of pain along the way. Today I managed to spill my own drink on me, thought I’d give Jamie a break from doing it! We’ve had donations from strangers including the owners of Zack the greyhound who took a liking to me, seen beautiful views including common terns, had a close encounter with a heron and learned that the names Rosie and Jane appear on more barges than any other name. I have asked myself over the last few days why I accepted this fundraising challenge from someone almost 30 years younger than me but we’ve done it! Would I do it again, hell yes! Growing old is compulsory growing up and acting your age is optional and the latter is my choice and the way I plan to continue. Most importantly, we’ve almost hit our target for Ronald McDonald House which is an amazing charity that gives so much help to families of sick children, more than I can begin to explain. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has donated and to you all for your support and encouragement, much appreciated.

To donate, please click here.

Charity Craft Fair raises £420.

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PBC would like to thank all those who attended the craft fair earlier this week for their generous donations which have raised £420 for Ronald McDonald Charity Houses.   For more information about PBC’s chosen charity, read here.

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In addition, PBC would like to thank the stallholders who attended, those who baked cakes and the team at the Northampton office for their hard work in making the event a success.

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More events to raise money for Ronald McDonald will be announced shortly, so watch this space.

PBC announce Ronald McDonald as chosen charity

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PBC can announce they will be supporting Ronald McDonald as their chosen charity for the year.

“To be honest with you”, said Kym Carvell, “until recently I thought Ronald McDonald was a clown dressed in red and yellow associated with a well-known burger chain! I knew there was a charity side but had never really thought about it, which is a shame given the good work I now know it does.”

“There are 14 Ronald McDonald Houses as close as is possible to specialist children’s hospitals across the country, from Southampton to Liverpool. They provide accommodation for families whose child is receiving treatment at the hospital, free of charge so parents can stay close to their children.  There is a telephone in each room with a direct line to the ward the child is on so that immediate contact can be made either by the ward to the parent or vice versa.  There are communal kitchen facilities, laundry facilities, playrooms, lounge areas with TVs and each room is allocated secure fridge, freezer and cupboard space. There are staff and volunteers to run the house and provide much needed support for the families.”

“The house at Alder Hey hospital can accommodate 84 families a night & has welcomed over 16,000 families since it opened in 1993. It costs £600,000 per year to run the house and last year that target was short by £150,000.  The house is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a week, is full 94% of the time and looked after 1,723 families last year.  The longest stay has been 2.5 years.”

“On 5th August, my baby grand daughter was born 10 weeks premature with a number of health issues, some which we were aware of before her birth, some we weren’t and some caused by her early arrival. She was airlifted to Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool on the day she was born and my son joined her the same day.  Her mother was quite poorly and not allowed to travel until she put her foot down the following day and joined them!”

“Little Billie-Marie has defied the odds stacked against her and has recovered from internal bleeding, a bleed on the brain and brain surgery to reduce fluid at just 5 weeks old. She’s been resuscitated twice and it has been a roller coaster ride for all of us.  She still has issues with her kidneys, a hole in her heart and a Coloboma in both eyes which may result in her being visually impaired but she’s a fighter and she will be just fine.  She had her first bottle feed last week and was transported to her local hospital the following day.”

“By comparison, my grandson required surgery at Addenbrookes in Cambridge when he was born in 2013 and no such accommodation was available for my younger son and his partner. There is no Ronald McDonald House at Addenbrookes.  The accommodation there had to be booked in advance and cost £50 per night with no facilities or direct telephone line.  Few young people just starting family life can afford that, certainly not for any length of time, hence why the Ronald McDonald charity does what it does.”

“I am in no way, comparing the hospitals, they are both amazing places but I do have direct experience of the difference the Ronald McDonald charity has made. It is because of this experience that PBC have chosen it as its charity of the year.  Alder Hey in particular, treats children from all over the UK, Isle of Man and Europe, over 270,000 young people were treated there last year, hence its association with the Ronald McDonald charity.  A lot of the patients and their families are miles away from home, 143 miles away in my case!”

“Now when I hear the name Ronald McDonald, I no longer associate it with a burger chain but with grateful families facing tough, emotional and uncertain times with their very poorly children. In an ideal world, there would be a Ronald McDonald House at every hospital and I hope we can help with that.”

The team at PBC will be working on a series of fundraising initiatives, so watch this space!

More information can be found at http://www.rmhc.org.uk/