Day 119 has seen a 4.13 mile cross training circuit in the gym and an excellent meeting.

A while back Gordon Mitchell made the most wonderful offer to build and host the website for the challenge. Just after he volunteered his business went stratospheric and despite the frantic pace of life his business created while at the same time being a Dad to two young children and a husband to his wonderful wife Kate he somehow found the time to craft the website. We had a meeting to discuss its progress this morning and I am pleased to say that we are not far away from being able to launch it. The most exciting bit about launching it is that it will broaden out significantly the number of people I can reach out to on the challenge while at the same time provide a platform from which I can hang a number of other ideas I have bubbling away so all in all a very exciting prospect especially when combined with the support of Martin Heaps who so kindly volunteered to support me in the managing of the material that I wish to hang in the website or point to from the website. So in effect Martin has become my social media advisor and enabler as there is so much that I could do so much better and will do once the website is up and running. Many of the ideas having come from the wonderful meeting I had on Day 43 with Caroline Barrowman, whom I met on the train and I am very much looking forward to developing these ideas with Martin.

Post lunch the children had their own plans with friends so I was left to take myself to the gym for my cross training circuit. All went to plan and the circuit was delivered without incident in the McLaren Leisure Centre. I worked around the four aerobic machines and cycled, cross trained, ran and rowed 4.13 miles. Showered, changed and went for the bus. All was well so time for the Deli Ecosse, a decaf, lactose free mocha and a flapjack consumed in the company of the good wishes of Debbie and Julie. It was good to hear that Debbie was in training for our cycle ride!!

Back home and there was just enough time to do some washing and ironing before starting on supper. Another Jamie Oliver special this time from his 30 minute meals book it was Smoky Haddock Corn Chowder with a rainbow salad. Including bacon, spring onions, potatoes, sweetcorn, smoked haddock, fresh bay leaves, fresh thyme, chicken stock, lactose free single cream, prawns and for the salad dressing, fresh red chilli, garlic, fresh tarragon, red wine vinegar, natural yoghurt, and for the salad itself grated courgette, carrot, beetroot and watercress this was again fiddly to make but packed full of goodness to beat the beast and a delight to eat. James stayed out with a friend for tea so no verdict from him but Heather after initially moaning that she wasn’t really a fish person decided that she actually quite liked it and polished off the lot. Marvellous.A good day with sunshine and no seizures.

The challenge so far in numbers in total since the start:
Days completed: 117
Total Miles Cycled: 627
Total Miles Walked: 595.5
Total Miles Run: 35.2
Total Miles Paddled: 7
Total Distance Cycled, Skied, Ran and Rowed in the gym: 19.2 
Total Distance Swum: 1,140 metres
Total Miles covered under own steam.1,401
Total Height Gained under own steam: 31,973 feet
Mountains Climbed: 5
Hills Climbed: 18
Days of Voluntary Activity: 6.5
Organ tunes learnt and performed: 5
Salmon Caught: 0!
Curling Matches played in: 6
Curling stones placed on the button (the centre of the target): 1
Weight Training Sessions: 9
Aerobic Circuit Sessions: 5
Press Ups: 280
Pull Ups: 65
Sit Ups: 280
People Met and Hands Shaken: 362
Pots of tea shared: 25
Prayers joined on the top of a hill: 2
Prayers joined in the street!: 4
Prayers joined in a Train Station: 1
Prayers joined in a Café: 1
Pills popped: 510
Days until Driving Licence (lost to epilepsy) possibly Returned: 729
And most important of all – Money Raised as at Day 112 – £6,050.77

Considering I started this challenge 22 weeks ago very quietly with no target beyond a fiver, thanks to the brilliant advice from a friend of mine, I am absolutely thrilled and again thank you all. That is £54.02 for each and every day that I have managed to find the will and energy to do something worthwhile and my goodness it has been worth it for my peace of mind, for my healing and for the five wonderful charities you are supporting through your generosity. Long may it continue. May I also ask however that if you are not sponsoring me to please consider it for as much or as little as you can afford. My rate of revenue raising has slowed from £70.00 a day to £60.00 a day to £54.02 a day so please sponsor me and encourage your friends to as well.

Thank you all for your incredible comments and support. Please continue to spread the word.
If you see me around do please give a cheery hello and shake my hand or toot your horn and give a cheery wave to show your support and encourage me on.

Thank you for joining me on my own personal journey and encouraging me to walk, cycle, climb, paddle, sport and do good deeds each day to ‘Beat the Beast’ while helping to improve the lives and life chances of so many more people through sponsorship. The Five Charities that I have selected to support are:

  1. Cancer Research UK – My Father Succumbed to Lung Cancer; a couple of friends are currently fighting cancer and I am fighting a brain tumour. Let’s Help to Beat Cancer Sooner.
  2. The Prince’s Trust – Inspiring and preparing disadvantaged Young Lives for success.
  3. British Red Cross – helping those in need around the UK and the world whoever and wherever they are.
  4. World Wide Fund for Nature – For a Living Planet and a Future Where People and Nature Thrive.
  5. Help for Heroes – Support for our Wounded and their Families. To learn more about my story that brought me to this point, how I plan to ‘Beat the Beast’, what activities I plan to do within the challenge and why, please see my welcome video on this page.

How to Sponsor Me

The Beat the Beast Challenge is self funding through my own contribution while keeping costs to a minimum with voluntary support and corporate sponsorship in kind. Therefore the entirety of every penny donated will go directly to the 5 charities listed above.

Please sponsor me by completing a standing order form either through your own personal internet banking or by completing a hard copy standing order form in your branch of your bank and then handing it in to the teller.

It is entirely up to you how much you would like to and are able to sponsor me for so do please give as much or as little as you can. Every penny will be very gratefully received.

While I hope you will encourage me to keep going by sponsoring me for every day I survive and am able to find the cognitive and physical capability to complete a day’s task designed to improve my chances of ‘Beating the Beast’ or improving the lives of others, 5 days a week, four weeks a month, for as long as ever I can. Any One off Cash contributions will be most gratefully received and distributed in exactly the same manner to the five charities as the sponsorship. Any one off donations can be made by BACS or cheque.

Thank you for having enough faith in me to sponsor me.

Yours aye

Archie