A thank you on behalf of VRH

I wanted to write a brief thank-you note to everyone who supported my fundraising efforts for Volunteer Reading Help in 2010.

I've just heard that, including gift aid, we reached a final total of £680. This will pay for four children to receive one-to-one reading support in this school year.

It is only through the generosity of people like you that Volunteer Reading Help can give this much-needed support...so if you ponied up the cash in 2010...give yourself a pat on the back!

Birmingham Half Marathon

Yesterday saw the EDF Energy Half Marathon take place in Birmingham. I was pleased to get round in 1:48 - just shy of my target time.

Thankfully donations for VRH didn't fall short and I'm pleased to say that we've raised enough to fund the Helper based at Herne Bay Infant School for 2010-11.

A few odds and ends are still coming in from generous folk who weren't able to donate online - and there's still time to click on the widget above and give to this outstanding literacy charity. Every penny goes towards helping school pupils become literate for life.

This week on Books and Adventures we'll be starting the long-awaited series on the late Australian writer Patricia Wrightson, and following that up with news from Paint the Town Read, an exciting literacy scheme that runs down under.

Running for Reading at Herne Bay Infant School

Busy times at Books and Adventures – but we still need your help to raise just £510 for a Reading Helper at Herne Bay Infant School.


Tomorrow I’m speaking at a VRH event in Kent, the county where I first discovered this amazing charity – and I’ll be dropping in to the brilliant school whose pupils need your help.


Our fundraising target is tantalisingly close – as is the race; my aching legs will find the end of all this training on 24th October a welcome relief – so every penny counts.


Click on the widget below or go to justgiving.com/booksadventures...

Birmingham Half Marathon / Volunteer Reading Help Fundraising Update

As regular readers will know, I’m running the Birmingham Half Marathon on 24th October to raise funds for Volunteer Reading Help, after I found out that they need just £510 to fund their helper for 2010-11 at Herne Bay Infant School in Kent.

Well, I'm glad to say we're now more than three quarters of the way there, thanks to some generous donations.

In particular I'd like to thank staff and customers of the Anne Tudor fashion shop in Stratford-upon-Avon, who worked hard to boost my coffers prior to the run!

Just a few hundred pounds will pay for a year’s worth of one-to-one work with the children who most need support with their reading skills, so please click on the justgiving widget at the bottom of this post or head straight to justgiving.com/booksadventures to help out this marvellous charity.

Birmingham Half Marathon - Fundraising for Volunteer Reading Help

The best thing about July and August is catching up with all my teacher buddies on holiday.

Even though those supposedly ‘long’ holidays are actually pretty full of planning, paperwork, and getting your classroom sorted for September, we still find time to catch up for dinner and drinks and a few giggles. Even if, like me, you’re not actually tied to the academic year and should probably be in the office…

I was especially enjoying the wine and tapas this week, because today I start training for the Birmingham Half-Marathon on October 24th.

I’m running to raise funds for Volunteer Reading Help, after I found out that they need just £510 to fund their helper for 2010-11 at Herne Bay Infant School in Kent.

Just a few hundred pounds will pay for a year’s worth of one-to-one work with the children who most need support with their reading skills.

We’re off to a good start but every little helps, so click on the justgiving widget at the top of this post or head straight to justgiving.com/booksadventures to help out this marvellous charity.

You do your bit and I’ll do mine; I might even try and get my half-marathon time down to something creditable!

Shakespeare Half-Marathon

Phew! I managed the Shakespeare Half-Marathon in 1:59, better than I expected. (This is right before the end: you can just see a carrier-bag-wielding well-wisher pursuing me on the left-hand side!).

There wasn't anything on TV in the afternoon, so I ended up on the sofa with my laptop, writing.* Productive or what?

More news later in the week....M

*Okay, let's not be too pious. I may have watched a DVD of WALL-E!