Targets reached - thanks to you!

What a great joy it was on Sunday to count up the takings from the fun morning and to realise that my fundraising targets had been achieved! It was a delightful end to a very happy day. My brilliant community were particularly brilliant in helping with the setting up, the overseeing, and the clearing of the event, while those who attended showed tremendous generosity. Some figures might help as an illustration:

Refreshments: £154.10
Tombola: £141.50
"How long will it take?" game: £42.00
Auction: £187.00
Donations: £570.00
Grand total: £1094.60

It was an amazing experience to stand in the middle of the room watching it all happen. Those who were looking after the different activities were busily occupied, with queues of people keen to have a go at the games. Many were sampling the coffee and cakes (oh, and don't forget the biscuits). Others were looking at the displays about the charities, or seeking me out to hand over a cheque. Everybody was smiling and having fun. We could even spill over into the garden, God having provided a last dose of sunny, settled weather. And what a great outcome: something that people really did seem to experience as a "fun morning", and a huge boost to my fundraising. Lots and lots and LOTS of thanks to everybody who contributed, in whatever way!

Now all I have to worry about is the actual marathons, which are approaching rapidly. Things are definitely going in the right direction with my training at last, but of course I can't possibly catch up to where I had hoped to be. Although I should make some more progress before the big days, by dint of continued physio exercises and very careful increases in the length of my runs, there's no doubt that I'll be slow and that it will be a struggle to cover the distance. It's interesting to think back six months to all the ideas I had about this project and what it would entail. Hardly any of it has turned out how I expected! But, or maybe so, it's been hugely enriching. I hope I'm ready now for whatever unforeseen happenings the final few weeks throw at me!