more recruits ...

Had a short weekend break away with Donna at a friend from Uni's 40th birthday bash down in Gloucester. Stayed in a pleasant Holiday Inn, which had a small gym and pool, so I managed to do a little on the 365challenge while down there. I have to say, though, that trying to do lengths in a 12.5 metre pool is a hassle. I'd barely be getting into my stroke when I'd have to turn around again, so I'm afraid I quit in frustration after covering half my usual distance, just 500 metres this time.

But I came home to some great emails (yes, I lasted two whole days without the internet!), so thank you everyone who has been supporting me.

Following on from my presentation last week to the Area Volunteeer Managers for Cancer Research UK, the ranks of 365'ers have grown by 4 - two AVMs and two of their friends, with the promise (threat??) of more to come. Thank you Sabrina and Debbie for your wonderful messages of support and for taking on these great challenges.

Sabrina, who lost her grandfather to cancer, and two friends are going to run the Race for Life every week for the year of their challenge, while Debbie has targetted a huge challenge, in memory of her friend, Duncan, who died aged just 27 years from a brain tumour. She's going to run 1 marathon a month (12 marathons), swim the channel (22 miles), walk coast 2 coast of the UK (Wainwright's St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay, 190 miles) and cycle across the USA (at 3200 miles, or 62 miles a week)!!!

I love the craziness that the 365challenge is bringing out in you people ... come on, readers, what might your ultimate challenge be for 365challenge? Let me know and I'll put details up on the 365challenge website.

By the way, I've also just created a group on Facebook for the challenge. It's called "365challenge for Cancer Research UK" (snappy, and so concise, eh, how long did that take to come up with?). It's just a week since I set it up and tonight I see it passed the 50 members mark. I'll have to make use of this group and get people thinking and discussing topics on the discussion board. If you've not signed up yet, please pop along to face book and search for the group by title, then it's a doddle to join it.

a VERY exciting day for the 365challenge ...

( ... a long post ...)

Today was a very important day for the growth of the 365challenge. Nothing to do with my efforts in the gym or the pool (though I am just one swim short of hitting the half-way mark in my channel swim after this morning's dip) - no, it was all to do with developing my relationship with Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

A couple of weeks ago, Peter, the Regional Volunteer Manager for CRUK, asked me if I'd like to speak to the Central Division's Volunteer Manager's conference (or something like that) about the 365challenge. These are the people who support fund-raisers around the country and he thought they'd like to hear about what I've been doing. "Great", I thought, "an opportunity to spread the word, where do I have to go?" Oxford, as it happens, on November 18th. All well and good.

Then Peter called again and told me that the head of another part of the CRUK organisation wanted me to speak to their national conference - which happened to be in my home town of Chester today, November 13th. "Sign me up, oh, by the way, who are these people?" "These people" turned out to be the Events Team, and essentially, as far as I could work out, this was to be a gathering of all the regional Events management teams, the people who organise and support the big CRUK fund-raising activities, such as Race for Life, Relay for Life, the Bobby Moore Fund, Dine at Mine, all the running events and much more. When I tell you that Race for Life last year alone had 665,000 participants and raised around £40 million, you can maybe realise just how important these people are to the fund-raising programme for CRUK!

And I was being invited to speak to them for 30 minutes about the 365challenge!!!

So I wrote my spiel, and put together my PowerPoint presentation to explain who I was, why I was developing the 365challenge, what it was and how, with their support, the 365challenge could play a part in the generation of funds for CRUK. I was told there would be 50 -60 people at the Queen Hotel in Chester, but it turned out there were around 100 of 'em, all attentive, keen to learn what the 365challenge was all about. All they knew at this stage was that it was a 30 minute slot in their programme - most of them knew nothing more, so I had to grab my chance to win them round ...

And I have to say, ... I think I did!

I got a great reception from a really interested, excited bunch of people, who can see potential when it lands in their lap. I have to say, when I know my subject, I love speaking to groups - I only realised this recently, but I don't get too nervous, just enough to get the adrenaline pumping so that I can deliver what I want to say. And I loved getting up there in front of this great room of open, welcoming faces.

The 30 minutes flew by, and we had just a little time for a few minutes for questions at the end. I got some really positive, encouraging comments from people who were nearly as excited as I was. Two stand out ... One person asked just what CRUK were doing to support me in developing the 365challenge, in an almost incredulous tone, as if they couldn't believe that the 365challenge wasn't already their next campaign. That prompted the Head of Events to come up on stage with me and take to mike to explain that the 365challenge was still very new even to them, but they wanted to do all they could to develop its potential and she reassured the Events people that one of their executives was due to meet with me straight after my talk to try to work out how they could help move this on!

The other comment came just as I was about to finish. A hand went up right at the back, and a voice called out to me that that particular table represented the North West Events Team, and they had decided right there and then that THEY were going to take on the 365challenge themselves, as a team. That prompted cries from around the room that this was going to get competitive, and other teams might just have to have a go too!! Can you imagine how much of a buzz this was creating?

I came off the stage really buzzing myself, to comments like " that was really great, what an idea" from the people at the table I'd been directed to. I was invited to stay for the last presentation before my meeting with the New Business Executive, and I'm really please I was able to. It was by a guy called Findlay Young, another cancer survivor, who has been celebrating his TWO all-clears from cancer by running ... literally running ... around the world. He raised £40,000 for CRUK through that amazing effort but has plans for even more spectular efforts next year. He was truly inspiring and from already being buzzing, after his talk, I was truly "Fired Up!"

So when I met with Suzanne, the New Business Executive afterwards, it was great. Lots of energy, ideas and creativity flying around, with her as excited about the 365challenge as I was, and coming up with additional twists to consider. It is really early days still, of course but she will now go away and talk to various people within the organisation to see how they can help me take 365challenge to another ... and another ... and another level.

And next week, I get to do it all again to the Volunteer Managers conference!

I can't wait!

"it's early days, don't get carried away ..."

Anyone who has been watching this blog (and, come on, by the way, don't be shy, click on the follow me link and be a proud follower of 365) will know that I am committed to the 365challenge concept. When I came up with the idea, at first I thought it was a great way for me to motivate myself to put a serious amount of effort into supporting Cancer Research UK (CRUK) over a lengthy period. Then I realised that others liked the idea too and wanted to do their bit, so the concept developed, and became more flexible, as people developed their own 365challenges.

It was a no-brainer then for me to look at how to develop this idea further. I wanted to make 365challenge something that would grab the attention and serve as a way for more and more people to raise greater and greater amounts of money to support CRUK. And so I set about promoting the idea wherever I could. I spoke first with my local Area Volunteer Manager for CRUK, Liz, who got excited and told her boss, Peter, the Regional Manager.

He came to meet me, and ... he got excited too. And he went away and started telling people in CRUK.

Then, two weeks ago, Peter called me and asked me if I'd be willing to go to speak to the CRUK Central Region Volunteer Managers Conference, in Oxford in November, about the 365challenge. Duh ... yes! They wanted me to give a 30 minute presentation on the concept to around 50 people who deal with those people looking to do something to raise money for CRUK - the front-line folk who can promote the 365challenge to the public - of course I'll do it! That's brilliant, a chance to get this idea out there to an audience who want ideas they can push ... let me at them!

I was excited enough at this, but then last week, Peter was back to me. "Colin, I know you've agreed to come and talk to the Volunteer Managers Conference next month, but would you mind coming to another conference a few days before that one too ... this one is in Chester (so it's on your doorstep, and easier for you to get to) but ... it's the Events Team Conference ... I've been speaking to them and they are keen to learn more about 365challenge".

When and where is my reply - of course I'll speak to them ... oh, who are they, by the way ...?

A couple of calls later, and I know.

Now I AM excited. I have to temper this with the mantra "it's early days, don't get carried away ...", but ... John called me, the Events Team manager. This is the team that looks at fund-raising ideas for CRUK and decides whether or not to get behind them and support them formally. This is the team who got behind the "Race for Life" concept, and made it the huge national success that is has become.

60 or 70 of these people are coming to Chester next month, and little ole' me is going to have 30 minutes to get them as excited about the 365challenge as I am. John told me that he really likes the idea and thinks it could be something they would support. So ... if I pull this off, and they see the real potential for 365challenge ... this thing could be huge!

("it's early days, don't get carried away ...")

Watch this space!