14. Donate £40 a year to charities (Year 6)

Again, I've donated over the £40 proving that I am generous kind of gal!

13th July 2017
My friend, Tim Spoerer, has created a music programme for the children who attend the school in which he works using one of the old London bendy buses. Ed Sheeran donated the bus. The BBC ran a story on it which you can see below.

I donated £20 to the original fundraising campaign which has now turned into a crowdfunding campaign. You can find out more information here. You can also visit the JamBus crowdfunding page. It would be so great if all schools in the UK had a dedicated music teacher like Tim; willing to go above and beyond!

25th September 2017
My commuting buddy, Michelle, walked a full marathon for Cancer Research (specifically for Breast Cancer) in the Shine Night Walk on 24th September. I donated £10 to the cause and to show my support. She completed the walk in 8 hours, 57 minutes and 14 seconds.

Michelle and her walking buddies at the start line

15th December 2017
Xmas Jumper Day! I can't actually recall which jumper I wore but it was more than likely my Olaf jumper which says something like "Hug me, it's Christmas" or words to that effect. I also like warm hugs! I had gone to a team meeting in Oxford so at least I didn't have to get on the hot and stuffy underground to work. I donated £5 to Save the Children.

21st December 2017
Certainly a month to be generous. Very talented singer and pal, Stephanie O, made a personal challenge to run a half marathon to raise money for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders). Along with some other people they raised a combined total of £1,000. Stephanie was keen to continue supporting the charity so following a collaboration with other successful artists she recorded a version of the classic jazz standard 'What Are You Doing New Year's Eve'. They were going to release the song on New Year's Eve if they hit their target but they missed out by a few measly pounds. The fundraising page is still active if you feel you would like to donate (here). I made a donation of £10.

20th January 2018
Despite not being paid yet after an expensive Christmas period, I donated £10 to my lovely friend, Jenna, who was raising money for Diabetes UK by swimming the equivalent of the English Channel as part of the charity's Swim22 2018 challenge event. From 22nd February, Jenna, who has Diabetes, needed to swim 22 miles over the course of three months. This meant that she needed to swim 1,416 laps of the indoor pool at her local leisure centre.

17th April 2018
I supported my mate, Stu, again this year on his RideLondon100 challenge which is on 29th July. This year he is raising money for Prostate Cancer UK. I sponsored Stu with £10.

Stu focusing on his challenge (from a previous event) and the road ahead!

Another year of donations, totalling £65, for worthy causes.