I'm not sure how many of you know, but in 1999 our then youngest daughter Imogen was a victim of Cot Death. No reason was ever found for her death despite numerous tests and investigations and a very thorough specialist post-mortem. Since we lost Imogen we've spent a lot of time reading virtually every article that's ever been published on Cot Death but we've never managed to find a conclusive reason behind her death.:( The FSID funds extensive research every year in an effort to find a reason for the 7 deaths a week in the UK that are attributed to Cot Death. Most of the fundraising is done on a small scale but every year there is a huge fundraising event entitled "A Challenging Walk for Life". This is where you come in!!

I've decided that I'm going to take part in the fundraising walk that's been organised for 2003, through the French Massif Central along ancient pilgrimage paths surrounded by the wild and beautiful scenery of rural France. Now, I'm sure that those of you who know me personally are rolling around on the floor laughing at this precise moment, after all I'm the girl who'd wait 3 hours to get a lift to Sainsburys if walking the 4 minutes up the road could be avoided!!!! I have to admit the thought of hiking through the French wilderness is very intimidating but if by doing this walk I can prevent a single family from experiencing the pain of losing a child to Cot Death it'll be worth it. There really is nothing worse in the world than burying your own child.

The minimum sponsorship needed to take part in this trek is £2150 with £837 of that money going to Classic Tours to cover the cost of the trip. Chris and I are aiming to cover that cost ourselves so all the money we raise as sponsorship will go directly to the FSID. If every one I know sponsors me £10.00 then I'll have raised over £3000 for Cot Death Research. :)

If you do want to sponsor me and help raise money for research into the reasons behind Cot Death, then please get in touch and I'll let you have details of how to make a donation. If you don't want to make a donation then please don't worry, just wish me well, and think of me between 8 and 15th June 2003!!.

Fiona
x x x

Please feel free to pass this message onto anyone you think may be willing to sponsor me.

Apologies if you've already recieved this as a personal email but I'm sure you'll appreciate the need for mass exposure on this.

Leigh - I hope this message is allowed to remain, but I'll understand if it's removed for breaking the T&Cs on the site :)

Hi Fiona
Please send me the details.
My brother was a victim of cot death ( he would have been 31 now) so it is very a personal charity to me.
Ali

Good luck with the walk

Thanks Glenys :)

Fiona
x x x

Fiona count me in I will give a tenner good luck

Pat x

Thank Pat :) I've got over £100 now.

Fiona
x x x

Fiona,

Put me down for a tenner..

And if this baby arrives before Sat 21 Sept I will add another tenner.

Karen

Thanks Karen, fingers crossed for before the 21st then!!!

Fiona
x x x

Add a tenner to my pledge if the baby comes before 21st as well :) :) :)

Thanks Mattie :)

You'd better get a move on now Karen!!!! :D :D :D

Seriously though - no pressure!!!!

Fiona
x x x

Fiona, I would like to give you £10 too :D

Thanks Phillipa - everyone has been really generous, it's enough to make me cry :)

Fiona
x x x

Fiona, I think it is a cause very close to everyones heart, there but for the grace of God........... I hope you raise loads of money for the cause.

Fiona,

If you send me the details I will sponsor you.

Tracy

PS Good Luck :)

Thanks Tracy, I've sent you the details :)

Fiona
x x

Count me in, Fiona. Best of luck:)
Lynn x

Just think of all the practise you can get in walking to the bank to pay the money in:D
For everyone's info, is there a dead-line for the money to reach you?
Lynn x

Fiona, I'll happily contribute 10. :) Let me know how to get the money to you!

Kory

If you email me I'll send you the details,

Thanks Kory :)

Fiona
x x x

I need to be able to pay money in over a period of time and FSID have to receive at least £250 by Christmas to gurantee my place on the trek and then a further £1500 by the beginning of May. The balance of the minimum £1900 sponsorship money must be received by the FSID before I can take part in the trek, 8th June.

I'm approaching all the major companies in the area and Chris is organising a dress down day at work which should raise about £500. He's also going to request an individual donation of £5.00 from everyone he works with - this should raise an additional £1000.

Between us all, we're going to make a difference :)

Thank you everyone who's been kind enough to sponsor me - I really appreciate all of your donations and words of encouragement. :)

Fiona
x x x

And me please Fiona

Lucy

Thanks Lucy :) - I've sent you the info.

Fiona
x x x

Fiona

Put me down to sponser you for £10.00 please. I lost my sister at the age of 11 (she had cerabal palsy) so I know the heartache parents and families go through..

Natasha

Thanks Natasha :)

I'm so sorry to hear about your sister :( Life really is unkind.

Fiona
x x x

Fiona have you considered contacting the manufacturers of the food you use for your dog for some sort of sponsorship?
Good luck with the walk.
Add a tenner from me too (send me details please :D)
Bec

I hadn't thought of that :) I'll email them in the morning.

Thanks for your support Bec,

Fiona
x x x

Where do I send a tenner each for Ian and me?

Thanks Sharon, and Ian :) I'll send you the details.

Fiona
x x x

I tried to email you at your profile addy but it failed - can you email me with an alternative addy

Fiona - sight.hounds@virgin.net

Thanks Sharon :)

Fiona
x x x

Fiona I will happily send you £10, Send the details to my addy preidie@yahoo.com

Good luck with the sponsership I have no doubt you will get it all in..

Pam

Fiona have you forgotten we need an address to post it to
Ask your local if you get a bottle of something and some chocs will they raffle them for you . Also ask them to leave a jar behind the bar for the small change .
Mari

Ooops!! The address to send the money to is my home address so if anyone doesn't have it then please let me know and I'll send it off board.

I'll have a bank account number next week as well so I can put that up if people want to pay direct into the bank. I can also accept payment by PayPal if that helps anyone.

I've written to the local hospital, after all that was where Imogen was born and died and they're going to put up sponsor forms in all the coffee rooms and on all the wards so I should do quite well out of that.

I've also put some forms in the staff room at Ellies school and on the notice boards so hopefully that will help.

I'd feel a bit guilty about the pub as I don't drink in there, but my neighbour is a cleaner there so she might be able to arrange something with the landlord. I've also got free membership to the local gym/spa to get fit - all I have to pay for is the creche for the kids!!

I'm so excited about this as the support I've received so far has been great :)

Thanks everyone,

Fiona
x x x

Hi Fiona, got your e-mail thanks, but PayPal would suit my forgetful self even better :-). Details on the back of an envelope please :-)!

Thanks Pamela, I've sent you the details you requested :)

Fiona
x x x

Fiona,
When is this "journey" going to occur? Do you have an itinerary yet? Strange coincidence, hubby and I made rough plans for next June to spend our vacation in that region. :-)
toodles

That's scary Sara - we could both be there together!!

I don't have an itinerary yet but I know that we'll be walking from Le Puy to Conquest and walking between 15 and 20 miles per day!! We're leaving the UK on the 8th June and arriving back on the 15th June. We'll be walking the ancient pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella in Spain and staying in traditional rustic style gites overnight.

Maybe I'll bump into you there - the question is how will we recognise each other, I can hardly ask everyone I see "Are you Sara from Champdogs" :D :D :D :D

Fiona
x x x

Now that's funny :) :) :)
I never go on vacation in the summer without my 'girls'... They deserve the break too.
So if you see a 6'4 guy in a hat with a blond spunky terrier and a 5'8 chunky chick with a small black docked odd looking short haired lean Cocker on a halti hooked to a belt loop -- that's us :) :) We're pretty hard to miss ;) :D :D

Now I have to go look on my map to find those places and see if it's near where we think we might be :) :)

I'll write down this description and take it with me Sara so I'll know if I've found you :D :D :D

Fiona
x x x

Just checked on a map--- I am impressed!!!! That is a very long ways to hike!! Bring loads of sunscreen and a hat, that's for sure. Yeah, the area can be rainy, but it's usually very sunny. The food is marvelous and filling!!!

Will you have any chance to sightsee when you finish? If you have a chance, Albi has a very unique fortress cathedral. At night, you can go in and they light up the outside of the stained glass windows. Beautiful sight. :)

Yep, don't know about accomodations or specific plans yet, but that is the vicinity of where we are looking for next year. Small world, ain't it?? ;)

sorry for your loss
i know what my kids mean to me
please add my tenner
and good luck with the walk
sam xx

Tenner from me too
Anne

Thanks Anne - I'm really touched by everyones support. Between 1pm yesterday and this morning I've had over £600 promised in sponsorship money.

My dad has offered to double everything I raise and we're not buying xmas pressies for any adults this year - we're putting the money into the trek fund instead. We're also selling all the kids toys (the ones they don't play with anymore) and instead of using that money to fund this years xmas pressies we're putting that money into the trek fund.

I'm not sure my dad is quite prepared for the ammount I want to raise, but I have witnesses to his offer!!!!!!! :D

Fiona
x x x

Anne Could you send me an email please so I can send you some more info. Your email addy is hidden in your profile. Thanks :)

Thanks Sam :)

Fiona
x x x

Fiona,

Count me in, send me the details

Theresa :)

Thanks Theresa, the info is on it's way :)

Fiona
x x x

Hi Fiona,

Just caught up with this thread :-)

Please can you provide us with a Letter of Authority from the organisation that you are raising money for, also charity numbers and any other information you have.

Also, who are the cheques to be made payable too?

Thanx

Leigh

Hi Leigh,

Can you email me an address to send the letter to? I don't have a scanner so I can't send it via email :(

What usually happens with these fundraising efforts is that an account is opened in the name of the person doing it with FSID added onto the end of the name ie my account will be in the name of Fiona Bray - FSID so that people can be reassured that the money is going to the charity and not being raised under false pretences.

The charity number for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths is 262191 and more info on the walk can be found on Detox 2003.

Fiona
x x x

I have emailed you :-)

Hi Fiona

Please put me down for a tenner - I've a lot to be thankful for - 4 healthy children & now 2 healthy grandchildren - but I can always remember the fear I had with my 2 youngest - Adrian (the other half) always had to put them to bed when they were tiny as I was always afraid that if I did they wouldn't wake in the morning....

Also, talk to your local superstore - I know that Asdas will often support such a venture and I'm sure that the others do too.

E-mail me (margotpizzey@lineone.net) with where & how to send the dosh!

Good luck
Luv
Margotxx