Fundraising Surprise

I attended the birthday party of my friend Mel last night at a local bar and as I arrived she announced "I've got something for you!" and promptly disappeared behind the bar. When she emerged she was carrying a large basket of loose change.

She explained that a friend had been moving back to the UK and didn't have time to sort it out or bank it before she left, so she asked Mel to give it to charity for her.

Mel remembered my Arctic challenge and bought the basket along to her celebration so she could give it to me. Before I took it home she even passed it around all her guests asking them to add to it to help me.

The total I took away eventually totalled a massive 250 euros! So thanks to Mel, her friend and all her guests at the Kariba Lounge for this unexpected and very generous donation.

Celebrities Help on Twitter

I've begun using the social networking site 'Twitter' over the last few months. For those of you not familiar with it, it invites users to share and connect with other users all over the world in statements of only 140 characters.

Until I began using it, I couldn't really work out what it was all about, however, it's proved to be, not only a fun way to connect with people all over the world, but also beneficial for my fundraising efforts.

There are also lots of celebrities using Twitter. While many of them choose only to post statements about themselves and what they're doing to keep fans updated, there are also those who actually engage with the people who follow their 'tweets' and respond to the messages they receive.

Clearly, it's impossible for them to respond to everyone, especially as some have literally thousands of followers all messaging them as soon as they're online, so I've been very grateful for the help of some celebs who've taken the time to promote my challenge and ask their followers to help.

I'd like to say a big thank you to Russel Grant, Marc Bannerman, Jonathan Ross and Beverley Knight. Their help has not only encouraged people to find out about my challenge, but has also raised awareness about the Willow Foundation and what they do. If more people apply for a Special Day as a result, then that in itself is an achievement, as more families benefit from their work.