Kelda writes-Sponsorship to help me do this, and the reaction from people has just blown me away.
Let the Countdown Begin!
Well, the 3 week break is nearly over….and that means we’re about to start the season that will culminate in the Paralympics next year! That’s an incredibly exciting thought….but a pretty scary one too!
It’s time to focus 100% on Rio. Everything I do, think, eat and sleep will be with Rio in mind.
I’ve been working hard throughout the break trying to secure support and sponsorship to help me do this, and the reaction from people has just blown me away.
HBP-NLP.com is supporting me with off the water performance coaching. They’re helping me with my mental approach to the sport and racing, and I’m excited about the impact their coaching will have on my performance. I‘ve only just started working with Phil Kelly and Phil Quirk, master coaches with HBP, but I’m already feeling the benefits of the work we’re doing. I’m incredibly grateful for the support they are giving me. (www.HBP-NLP.COM)
J&PR Ltd are also supporting me with PR and marketing. They run a full service Public Relations agency based in Shropshire and will be supporting me throughout the 12 months leading up to Rio. Raising awareness about my journey will play a vital part in generating further sponsorship (which will be my only way to survive now I’ve taken a year out from work!), so again, I am incredibly grateful for J and PR’s support. https://www.jandpr.com/
East Midlands Civil Engineering Ltd is a Midlands based contractor with considerable experience in roads, sewers and ground works. They have sponsored me with £1,000 of financial support, a massive help now I have committed to training full time. The money will go directly towards training costs, so again this support will big a big help in enabling me to deliver the best performance possible next year.
For further information about East Midlands Civil Engineering you can visit their website www.emcivils.com
A big shout out must also go to Geoff Ward film and photography. It’s the film that Geoff kindly put together that has lead onto much of this additional sponsorship, so a big thank you to him.
People say “teamwork makes the dream work”, well blimey, I’m feeling some team behind me at the minute! The support people have given me has been simply incredible and I feel very very lucky to be surrounded by such amazing people.
Talking of amazing people….having a 3 week break gave me the opportunity to go up to the Lake district to help run our very first Climbing Out Level 2 programme. And you couldn’t meet a more amazing bunch of young people than the ones we had right there! The programme was for young people who had already attended one of our 5 day programmes, and to see how much they’d all grown in confidence and developed since they’re first programme was something very special to be part of.
The atmosphere, friendships, support, banter and willingness to be challenged throughout the week was inspiring, and to stand back and watch the guys take ownership, make decisions, run activities and support each other is something I will never forget.
The most fantastic thing is that we’re developing a team that can continue to deliver the Climbing Out programmes long after I’m too old and decrepit to be doing it any more! They in turn, can then develop a team to keep it going when they move onto other things.
In doing this, we are creating something that will have real longevity, and will continue to affect the lives of young people long into the future.
And if we’re looking at challenges….October is going to be a month full of them for me!
I start with performance testing next week – where I intend to smash the backside out of everything that’s asked of me!!:-) The following weekend I’m off to race in a regatta with Warwick Sprint Canoe Club, a great opportunity to challenge myself and see if I can put right what went wrong in September.
On October 7th I have my formal review where I will be fighting hard for my place on the squad, then on the 9th I’m off to the Wigan Sports Awards to be their guest speaker for the evening. This will be a very different challenge to the physical ones of the weeks before, but one I am looking forward to all the same!
On the 15th October I’m being interviewed on Big Centre TV, then on the 23rd I’m attending the Midlands Children of Courage Awards to say a few words about Climbing Out, and hopefully see 2 of our participants pick up awards for which they’ve been nominated. A busy month, but an exciting one too!
Aside from all of that I’m going to be working harder than ever in the gym, on the water and in my mental preparation for the coming season. There’s everything to play for as we start the final 12 months to Rio.
360 days to go and counting………
