Project Namibia: I've reached my fundraising target!

It was just over three months ago that I started my fundraising drive so that I could join a group of 40 volunteers - including two former professional footballers - to head out to Namibia in June to revamp a primary school. I had just under 15 weeks to raise £4,000 so that I could join the Bobby Moore Fund-led project and I was daunted by the prospect of raising that amount.

But with the support of my company Archant, friends, family, Abbie Panks and the Vancouver Quarter, community website downhamweb, the beautiful Abby Pakes, Liz Pendleton, from Lingo Design, Michael and Wendy Foot, from the Robert Foot Leukaemia Fund, the rotary clubs covering Downham Market, Littleport and King's Lynn, HoldTheFrontPage, the EDP, the Wisbech Standard and the Fenland Citizen I have raised the staggering amount.

Obviously I couldn't have got anywhere near the target of £4,000 without the generous donations by people on my justgiving page. Here are those brilliant people:

Rachel Maloney, Matt Balding, John Taylor, Paul Ward, Jim McParland, Gary Drake, Donna Semmens, Hayliegh Beckles, Ian Berry, Paul Mannion, Chris Blackmore (My Dad), Dennis Bay, Ben Jimson, Daniel Briggs, Alix Young, Tim Lewis, Hayley Davinson, Kate Blackmore (My sister), Luke Bishop, Gemma Watson, Gary McGuinness, Victoria MacDonald, Derek Knight, Tara Greaves, Husna Miah, Shazia Afzal, Darren Baker, Jo Kelly, Simon Price, John Cordell, Donna Mumby, Lisa Dennison, Valerie Hollander & Michelle Rhodes.

The highlight of my fundraising effort was my big bike ride on Thursday, April 14 which saw me hope onto an exercise bike and cycle the equivalent of King’s Lynn to Calais, in France. I started the marathon effort at 8am and covered the 139 miles - as the crow flies - by 5pm.

*To watch the video of my big bike ride click here*

There were a lot of people to thank following the successful attempt - mainly the generous members of the public who dropped their loose change into my bucket! I also need to thank (again) Abbie Panks and the Vancouver Quarter management as well as LA Fitness and Sainsbury's in King's Lynn, KLFM, Nicola and Carla from the Flux Babes, Hayliegh Beckles, from Yours Business Networks King's Lynn, PR guru Kate Cleaver, and Purdie, from nearby Shakeaway.


I also have to say a big thank you to the following for plugging my challenge so well on Twitter:
_LucyInDisguise (Lucy Wright); Gary_McGuinness; RealLCrossley (Lucy Crossley); Ian_Burt; VancQuarterKL; Fluxbabes; TribePR; Snettisher (Ian Steel); LAfitnesstips; Richardhowitt (MEP); DerekKnight1; Kings_Lynn (King's Lynn Online); mrslaurenrogers; Hayley_Mace; Han_griffiths; KLcornexchance;
Speedball74 (Andrew Howell); JoJoBuzz; travorivory & CllrVickyMD (Victoria MacDonald)

As you can see there have been so many people and organisations that have helped me raise £4,000 in such a short time and I am grateful to everyone. I am still overwhelmed by the level of support I have received over the last few months and I cannot wait to tell you all about the project when I return.

Now all I can do between now and June 10 is look forward to the project which will see me travel with volunteers to the Tubusis settlement in the Damaraland region of Namibia and spend 10 days giving Tubusis Primary School a much-needed facelift.

The school consists of eight classrooms plus a library and although the school buildings are in reasonably good shape structurally, they are in need of general repairs to walls, paint work, doors, ceilings and windows. The building that houses the library, however, is in a really bad condition and requires a major revamp including the installation of new floors and proper furniture, the conversion of part of the library into a computer room and the provision of books to stock the library.

There will also be the chance for us to create a football pitch on the school grounds. I am really looking forward to travelling out to Africa next month and hopefully making a huge difference to the lives of all the pupils at Tubusis Primary School.

*Although I have reached my target you still donate to help me raise even more money for the Bobby Moore Fund and dedicated bowel cancer research and to help children at the Namibian school. The easiest way for you to help me is to visit www.justgiving.com/davidblackmore4 and donate as much as you can.