As I am sure most people that know me are aware, I am running the
Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon to raise money for the Scout Association. Well,
there are now only 50 days to go to race day so I thought I would do a bit of a write up to try
and drum up some more support.
Why Am I Running?
I got an email from the Scouts describing a number of Challenge Events that were running, and for which they needed volunteers. Well, I quite enjoy running so when I saw the RPF Half Marathon, I thought why not. Now although that was my first reason for running, the main reason is obviously to raise money to support the Scouts.
I have been a Scout at various stages since I was 8 years old, 10 years as a youth member and 10 years as a leader. I’ve had some wonderful opportunities through Scouts over the years, and have seen many young people really develop since becoming a leader. It is an organisation that I am proud to be a part of, and I believe the benefits that the organisation brings to young people are huge.
Since becoming a Scout I have:
- Trekked across the Central River Division of The Gambia as part of a 3 man team (amongst a much larger team);
- Participated in 3 International Jamborees (EuroJam 2005, Serbian Jamboree 2006 & World Scout Jamboree 2007) where I met people from all corners of the globe;
- Woken up under a clear sky in the middle of the Mafikeng Safari Park, South Africa on the 1 January 2007 (the Centenary year of Scouts at the birthplace of Scouting);
- Spent time with Nomads on the Plains of Mongolia;
- Visited the Terracotta Army in Xi’an, China and the Forbidden City in Beijing, China;
- As well as endless nights camping, days hiking, kayaking, climbing and learning all sorts of new skills, that have helped me become who I am today, right here in the UK.
It is due to the dedication of volunteers across the country that I have had the opportunity to experience what I have, but there is also an awful lot of support needed from Scouts as a whole to make sure everything runs smoothly.
What will the Money be Used For?
All the money raised by myself, and everyone else participating in these challenge events, will be used to support the formation of new groups across the country to give more young people the opportunities that myself, and many others, have had.
How Can You Sponsor Me?
If you would like to sponsor me then you can do so by any of the following means:
- Visit http://www.justgiving.com/richardpperry
- Text “SCOU74 £2” or “SCOU74 £5” or “SCOU74 £10” etc to 70070
- Or by just giving me money and signing a form if you prefer :-)
And for those of you that have already kindly sponsored me, thank you very much :-)