It's a marathon not a sprint - Days 37-41 #R2BC

My brain has been in a bit of mush this week but at least I have realised that today is Thursday. Thanks for everyone sharing your happy moments last week, I loved reading them. I hope you will join in again this week and encourage others to do so. For anyone new to the linky we have a few relaxed instructions:
What do you have to do? Simple:

1. Link up a post about something that is making you happy or grateful. It can be a list, photos or any way you fancy

2. Add the #R2BC badge (at the end of this post) onto your post or blog so that people can easily find the linky and join in too if they want to

3. Share the love. This is the really important bit. Please don't just link and run, comment on at least a couple of posts and why not share with #R2BC too?

I'll stop by all linked up posts to comment and I'll share on social media too. Meanwhile here are my reasons to be cheerful for this week:

1) Marathon
I didn't want to let down my charity will all my events cancelled. So I used the 2.6 challenge on Sunday as an excuse to run my marathon mostly in my back garden:  

With laps of 30 yards it was hard work and after 20 miles I did head out into the countryside to finish it off. The last mile was the hardest and I had to be encouraged by my friends via Facebook. You can see how ecstatic I was to finish:

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A post shared by Becky Willoughby (@lakessinglemum) on Apr 26, 2020 at 1:54pm PDT

2) Take away

With impeccable timing our local Chinese has re-opened after putting in social distancing measures. After my marathon my son was able to nip round and collect the meal we had ordered the day before:

Good to be able to support a local business and get a big treat too!

3) Little touches

The downstairs loo still needs some little bits. One of these was to replace the broken towel holder.

My 2020 Challenges To Get Fit Before 50 #fitb4fifty

Having achieved my 2019 fitness goals its time to set out my challenges for 2020 so far, especially ones that are for before I turn 50 in October! This year I am dedicating my fundraising to CLIC Sargent and have target of £595 to reach...

I am sure more will be added to this but so far I have three main challenges and a few little ones:

1) RED January

I used RED January last year to help me kick start my fitness year. It used to be all about running every day but now its about doing something that gets you active every day - phew! So I will be running, walking and working out every day this month. I started off with tail-walking parkrun and a brief dip in Windermere on New Year's Day:

Let's see how I can mix it up over the next few weeks!

2) Manchester Marathon 

YoungMinds fighting for young people's mental health

I have decided that I need to let a charity benefit from my bonkers birthday idea of running the Manchester Half Marathon. I asked my children who I should support and my daughter immediately suggested YoungMinds:

As a family we know from personal experience what an impact mental health issues can have on young people and their families. We also know that the NHS does not have enough funding for its Child Adolescent Mental Health Services which means young people do not receive the help and support they need to get through tough times.

There I have set up a Just Giving page for the half marathon in aid of YoungMinds. My daughter and I also created birthday fundraisers on Facebook (her birthday is the day after mine!) and so far have raised £79 for the charity. 

#CountryKids at the Kendal Colour Dash 2018

 

On Sunday my son and I donned white t-shirts and joined approximately 1,400 people of all ages to take part in the Kendal Colour Dash. This was my 4th and his 3rd colour dash which raises money for our local hospice. We started by covering ourselves in the powders that we had bought ourselves:

My son then abandoned me to find his friends so I warmed up with the crowd. He ended up near the front of the start whereas I was somewhere nearer the back so he got a flying start and I was held up in the crowd! I recorded my run on the head cam as well as snapping some pics on my phone:

It was certainly an explosion of colour even if there wasn't much dash for those of us in the main crowd:

#MilesForMatt Running the last 3.7 miles

Last Sunday alongside thousands of other runners Matt Campbell lined up at the start of the London Marathon. He was aiming to complete the run and raise £2,500 for the Brathay Trust. Tragically 3.7 miles from the finish he collapsed and later died in hospital. When a similar tragedy happened in 2016 my son and ran 3.2 miles in memory of Captain Seath and helped raise money for Help for Heroes.

Once again the running community has shown how wonderful it is and many people have pledged to run 3.7 miles in memory of Matt. As he was a local man and connected to the Windermere Marathon, as it supports the Brathay Trust, on Thursday a mass run took place. About 500 people of all ages and abilities met 3.7 miles from the finish of the marathon to run or walk to Brathay Hall. Unfortunately I couldn't make it so I went out today along the canal:

Today wasn't about speed it was about taking the time to appreciate this lovely landscape that I was able to enjoy whilst Matt no longer can. It was so peaceful back along the River with the sound of birds and not a single person in sight:

Spring is truly bursting out and I enjoyed the smells, sounds and sights:

National Citizen Service (NCS)

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I first heard about the National Citizen Service (NCS) when I was working in a local secondary school and have always thought of it as something that I would love my children to do. My daughter is now in year 9 so still 2 years away from being able to take part but I will be encouraging her to sign up for it as soon as she is eligible!

So what is the NCS and what makes me want my children to take part? Here is what the people at NCS says about it:

NCS is a government backed programme established in 2011 to help build a more cohesive, mobile and engaged society. By bringing together young people from different backgrounds for a unique shared experience, NCS helps them to become better individuals, and in turn better citizens.

NCS is open to 16 and 17 year-olds across England and Northern Ireland. The two to four week programme, which takes place in school holidays, includes outdoor team-building exercises, a residential for participants to learn ‘life skills’, a community-based social action project and an end of programme celebration event. 

At a time of huge political uncertainty, where division is more evident than togetherness, NCS is a powerful tool to ensure the next generation see more in their similarities than differences.

I feel my daughter would benefit from taking part in the challenging activities on offer on the NCS programme. She has tried some of them before but its good to face your fears and get out of your comfort zone. I know that I feel better for conquering my fear of heights when doing high ropes or abseiling:

I know that in Guides and on PGL holidays I loved the waterspouts elements. We have had a taster day as a family and my daughter loved this part of a school residential. My son has never been as keen on water based activities but he is a strong swimmer so by the time he is old enough to participate I hope he would enjoy them more! Some other children haven't had the chance to enjoy the fun that being on the water can be:

#MakeChildcareWork The Childcare Problem

A Save The Children campaign

The childcare system in England isn’t working for families. Parents need childcare that gives them the choice to go back to work. But hundreds of thousands aren’t getting the help they should be. It’s a battle for mums, dads, and caregivers to get the support they’re entitled to – and that their children need to thrive. There are particular gaps in support for one and two-year olds, which can keep mothers out of work for up to 3 years.

 

Simply figuring out what they are entitled to is a big first hurdle. Almost half of parents say they have no idea or are confused about what support they should get. There are lots of different schemes and forms to fill out – it’s a nightmare to navigate. The result is that families may miss out on the childcare support they should be getting which can hinder the development of young children.

 

This campaign is about making childcare fair and easy to use. Nursery workers and childminders are doing an incredible job. But right now, our broken childcare system isn’t giving families the support they need - at the most important time in their children’s lives. We need a childcare system that gives parents choices and children the chance to build a better future. We need a childcare system that fits around families’ lives and gives parents the choice to go back to work if they want to.

 

Why Childcare?

 

Great childcare sets up young children for life - helping them to learn, express themselves and get along with other children. It’s where they learn the communication skills, and gain the confidence and curiosity that will mean they can get on once they start school.

 

If children start school behind, they are likely to stay behind as it is incredibly difficult for them to catch up. A lack of development in the early years undermines their chances of success throughout school and in life. That’s why it’s so important to get it right.

 

It also gives their parents the choice to go back to work and earn the money that will help to build an environment at home in which kids can thrive. We all know how crucial the first few years of a child’s life are. Their childhood shapes the kind of person they grow up to be. What’s more, the lives we shape for our youngest decide the kind of country we get to live in, and the future for us all.

 

How You Can Help

 

As a first step, the government needs to listen to parents’ concerns. They’ve made changes to childcare - including increasing free hours - but parents are still telling us that the system’s confusing and too expensive. We’re asking the government to make the system work. We want to hear ministers responsible for childcare in England committing to a childcare system that is high quality, affordable, easy to use and fits around families’ lives.

 

To make it happen, we’re calling on mums, dads, and caregivers to sign our petition. Together, we’re asking the government to listen to our concerns, and make childcare work for everyone.

In the past Save the Children has achieved significant coverage resulting in real change that will help drive up the quality of childcare in England – earlier this year the government committed to a new strategy to ensure there are qualified teachers in nurseries. But the next phase of our campaign will be just as crucial so we’d love your support.

#TheCoopWay The Co-op and One Foundation

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I was very happy to be offered a free lunch in return for promoting TheCoopWay and the Co-op's donations to the One Foundation and the Global Investment Fund for Water. My lunch was delivered to my home in a box insulated inside with wool:

I had been offered choices from the £3.50 meal deal which included a choice of potato or vegetable crisps:

With the aim being to promote the water charities I chose one branded and one own brand water. For the Co-Op own brand they donate 3p per litre to the One Foundation to help end water poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. For the branded water they donate 1p per litre to the Global Investment Fund for Water:

#40Acts 2015: Lent begins Generous on Purpose

We all know how hard it can be to give things up even if its just for the 40 days of Lent. I have already committed to giving up alcohol for a longer period (90 days of sober) so I don't really want to lose anything else! Instead I have signed up to 40 Acts campaign for 2015:

Instead of giving things up I will be encouraging my children to think of others whilst leading by example. None of this should cost us a lot of money but it will be good for all of us to be less self-centred. We have started by creating a generosity jar to collect our loose change in:

90 Days of Sober

Now in the past I have signed up for Dry January and Sober in October in order to do myself some good whilst raising money for charity. For next year I am upping the stakes and inviting folks to join me in raising money for the Alzheimer's Society by giving up alcohol for 90 - yes ninety - days from January 2nd to March 31st.

If you want to join me sign up to the team page on JustGiving at 90 Days of Sober Crew or if you just want to sponsor me then that is fine too:

Let's hope I can get enough support to ditch the booze and do my little bit to help a worthwhile cause whilst getting healthy myself!

Our Sainsbury's Sport Relief Games

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As Sainsbury's were the main sponsor of the Sport Relief Games this weekend they had stocked lots of useful goodies to help participants:

Sainsbury Sport Relief items

We had already made use of the Sport bag on our Team Honk event:

Mr B hitches a ride in a Sport Relief bag

Yesterday my son and I headed to our local leisure centre for our the Sport Relief Games in Kendal. Big sister pulled out due to leg pain. The two of us were keen to go:

Have water bottle will run

It was nice day for a run as not too sunny or hot:

Start this way

We all lined up the start line from toddlers to pensioners:

Ready to start his Sport relief mile

We even had the mayor of Kendal there to start us off and present the medals when we crossed the finish line:

Finish line..

My son did his 3 laps with ease whilst I chugged round 9 times... he had to come and run last one with me! So proud of him he could probably have done the 3 mile event:

Completed his Sport relief mile

I was relieved to get my medal as I found running on the increasingly muddy grass hard work after a lack of training:

Eating a sport relief medal

Well done everyone who walked, ran, swam or cycled for Sport Relief at the Sainsbury Games. If you haven't sponsored anyone else then consider sending some pennies to our fundraising page.

We were sent the Sainsbury goodies as we are part of the Sainsbury Blogger Network.

#TeamHonkRelay Kendal Castle to Barnard Castle

Here is the story of our leg of the Team Honk blogger relay:

a walk up to Kendal Castle

unfurling banner at Kendal Castle

flashing her Sports Relief t-shirt

Ready to run for #TeamHonkRelay and Sports Relief

It seems an age ago when I responded to a request for volunteers from Team Honk and found myself agreeing to take part in a Land's End to John O'Groats relay. Today it all seemed so much more real when I met Family on a Bike outside Kendal town hall this morning to be handed the baton:

They had just completed the last section of a 3 day multi sport marathon covering 26 miles including swimming in Windermere:

My children were very excited to see the baton after school and then there were tears when my son realised he had forgotten to collect the class bear for our big adventure. Therefore we had a mad dash back to their school in time to pick up Ned to get him ready for the morning:

Now to hope that my children get a good night's sleep so that we are all fit and raring to go for our scheduled arrival at Kendal Castle at 9:30 in the morning... If anyone wants to join us on our first run down to St George's church then please just turn up in suitable footwear! If you just want to sponsor us then please head over to our fundraising page as we are only a third of way to our target...

Just hoping the rain holds off and that we manage to meet up with our Mountain Goat mini bus for our transportation! 

The first ever Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games take place from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd March 2014. The public can join the fun and games by running, swimming or cycling their way to raising cash at over a thousand venues around the country, including the landmark events at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

As one of the biggest fundraising events, Sport Relief brings the entire nation together to get active raise cash and change lives. The money raised by the public is spent by Comic Relief to help transform the lives of some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people both at home in the UK and across the world.

M&S ‘Kids Shwop Boutique’ for Oxfam

Abbey Clancy, Rochelle Humes and Peaches Geldof come together to support fashion boutique for charity

•     Shwop Boutique to sell the best childrenswear items donated to Shwopping campaign
•     A host of celebrities including Joanna Lumley, Abbey Clancy, Rochelle Humes, Peaches Geldof, Alex Gerrad, Zoe Ball and Mel Giedroyc from GBBO have donated items that will be sold
•     All money raised go to charity partner Oxfam as part of their Mother Appeal initiative
•     Over 1,000 shwopped childrenswear clothing will be on sale over three days

Shwop Boutique

Where:  Marks & Spencer, Marble Arch, 458 Oxford Street. London. W1C 1AP
When:  Thursday 6th - Saturday 8th March 2014 - 8am – 9pm
Entry:   Free with a shwopped item of clothing

Marks & Spencer (M&S) is set to open its first-ever childrenswear pop-up store when a three-day Kids Shwop Boutique opens to the public this March in aid of Oxfam’s Mother Appeal.

Open from Thursday 6th – Saturday 8th March at the retailer’s Marble Arch store, the one-off secondhand store will sell the best childrenswear items donated to M&S and Oxfam’s sustainable fashion initiative, Shwopping by the UK public and a host of celebrity donations.

All proceeds raised from the Kids Shwop Boutique will go towards Oxfam’s Mother Appeal campaign – which is being supported by M&S - that aims to raise £10 million for projects that help mothers around the world lift themselves and their families out of poverty for good.

Shwoppers will be able to pick up once loved childrenswear items from Britain’s top style icons and celebrity mums including Abbey Clancy, Peaches Geldof, Alex Gerrard, Zoe Ball, Rochelle Humes, Sarah Story, Mel Giedroyc and Shwopping ambassador Joanna Lumley. And, thanks to the UK government, every pound raised for the appeal will be doubled. *

Each celebrity-donated item will include personal words of wisdom stitched into the fabric of the item allowing advice to be passed onto the new owner.

Entry to the Kids Shwop Boutique is free, but visitors will have to shwop - hand over an unwanted item of kids clothing, using old or unused clothes as their ticket to the exclusive sale.

M&S has asked the public to donate childrenswear items to support the Oxfam campaign through its joint Love, Mum initiative. All other items of clothing donated will also go towards the appeal.

The public can show their support by Shwopping items in any M&S store add their words of wisdom on social media mentioning @shwopping and the hashtag #LoveMum.

M&S and Oxfam’s Shwopping collaboration urges shoppers to donate - or ‘shwop’ - an unwanted item of clothing that will go on to be re-sold, re-used or recycled by Oxfam, cutting waste while raising much-needed funds for the charity.

Since its launch in April 2012, Oxfam has received 6.9 million items of clothing thanks to Shwopping, worth £4.5 million for the charity. All money raised by Shwopping is used to support Oxfam’s projects around the world working to alleviate poverty.

For more information on Marks & Spencer and Oxfam’s Kids Shwop Boutique visit www.marksandspencer.com

For further information on Shwopping visit www.marksandspencer.com/shwopping

#TeamHonk Kendal Blogger Relay for Sports Relief

I find it really exciting that the TeamHonk Relay has now started! They have passed through Cornwall and Somerset already. If you go and see the photos you will see how seriously crazily everyone is taking this. Seeing all the mad outfits made me realise that I need to make more of an effort so I've ordered us all some Sport's Relief All-in-Ones. Just hope I can manage to run in a onesie...

We will be wearing our matching outfits to receive the baton on Wednesday March 12th at Kendal Town Hall at around 4:30 from A Cupcake Mum and Family on a Bike who are bringing it from Morecambe. I will be taking it to visit a couple of local schools in Kendal.

Then on the Saturday morning the children and I will run down from Kendal Castle:

and then have a lift to Brough Castle for another mini run. After that its a trip to Barnard Castle for our 3rd run of the day! We will complete our leg of the relay hopefully at the Bowes Museum to hand over to Head in a Book. At this point we may well collapse in a heap before heading back home! If you want to come and join us then please message me or pop onto our special Facebook group.

To inspire us can you please sponsor us as part of the team effort to rise £20,000 for Sports Relief! We have an official text donate code! Text HONK to 70005 and donate £5 to Sport Relief If you are a brand or business who can help then please take a look at the TeamHonk site for information about what you can do for us.

The first ever Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games take place from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd March 2014. The public can join the fun and games by running, swimming or cycling their way to raising cash at over a thousand venues around the country, including the landmark events at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

As one of the biggest fundraising events, Sport Relief brings the entire nation together to get active raise cash and change lives. The money raised by the public is spent by Comic Relief to help transform the lives of some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people both at home in the UK and across the world. 

Feeling Festive with the Kendal Santa Dash

Christmas does seem to get earlier every year in the shops but to me it's not proper Christmas until Advent. However yesterday it was the Christmas light switch on in Kendal with the Santa Dash and lots of entertainment. 

It was a damp, mizzling day which meant a lower turn out for the Santa Dash but my son and I were keen to get going:

Honest he was keen!

After warming up with a local dance troupe the town crier set us off for the dash through the streets of Kendal. There were a few surprised faces from people who obviously weren't expecting a crowd of Santas and reindeer to be on the pavements! My son was much faster than last year and in fact about a third of the way round I gave up trying to run at his pace and went back to my normal steady one...

We went along one side of the river and then went over 2 bridges to end up back at Abbott Hall where Santa's reindeer were waiting to see us:

My son was an amazing 5th whilst I was about 10th but the first lady! We retired to the cafe for a well earned snack:

Then we went back outside where Santa was preparing to board his sleigh whilst Kendal Concert Band played festive tunes:

The magic of it all still gripped my 7 year old:

Then we got into a good position to follow Santa back into town:

The Queen Katherine School samba band led the procession up the road. Then we listened to more music before the big countdown to Santa turning on the lights. By this time my phone battery had gone flat so no more photos... There was a big crowd now despite the damp and there was a huge cheer when the lights went on. So now Christmas shopping can properly begin as we have festive lights!

We ran in aid of Cancer Care so if you want to sponsor my son's fabulous achievement then please pop over here:  

Teaching children to think of others

I am writing this whilst watching BBC Children in Need with my children. Since they have been at school this annual event has really helped them to think about those less fortunate than themselves. My daughter at 10 understands more than her 7 old brother, to him its all about wearing a onesie and buying cakes:

The key to getting children into raising money does seem to be putting fun into the event. My daughter will do things like paint nails and she has run the Race for Life with me 3 times in total:

With the disaster in the Philippines making the headlines on their news as well as the grown up news they have asked me to send a contribution. They know that people their have lost everything except the clothes on their backs. Compared to them we are incredibly well off so I have given what I can afford. 

Tomorrow my son and I are doing the Santa Dash in Kendal in aid of our local Cancer Care charity. It's only about a mile in total but its all about the festive fun and doing our little bit to help, if you want to help us then please click the button below:

How do you get your children to think of others?

Cancer Research UK Campaign for Standardised Packing #packetracket

An important message from Cancer Research UK

TEENAGERS ATTRACTED BY ‘CUTE’ SLIM CIGARETTES AS CAMPAIGN CONTINUES FOR STANDARDISED PACKAGING

NEW FINDINGS RELEASED ALONGSIDE SHOCKING FILM

Teenagers are most attracted to slim and superslim cigarettes with white filter tips and decorative features – describing them as ‘cute, classy and feminine’ – according to a unique new Cancer Research UK* study to be published in the European Journal of Public Health this autumn.

The 15 year olds rated slimmer brands as weaker and less harmful than ‘smelly and disgusting’ brown cigarettes, which were viewed as ‘disgusting’, ‘really really strong’ and ‘old fashioned’. In fact, some superslim brands contain more harmful tobacco products than regular cigarettes.

The findings of this research, which highlights how different styles and designs of cigarettes and tobacco packaging can be more attractive to young people, are being issued alongside a new film, which reveals how tobacco companies can go as far as local laws allow to influence and recruit young people. Cancer Research UK is launching the hard-hitting film online today as part of its ongoing campaign for standardised tobacco packaging to protect young people from tobacco marketing.  

After legislation was left out of the Queen’s speech in May, Cancer Research UK has been campaigning to make sure standardised packaging isn’t left off the agenda for good. An amendment to The Children and Families Bill, which is being debated in the House of Lords this month, could allow Parliament one last chance this year to vote on legislation to protect children’s health with the introduction of standardised packaging.

Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said: “The evidence shows children are attracted to glitzy, slickly-designed cigarettes packs and every year more than 207,000 UK children between 11 and 15 start smoking. We are urging the government to introduce standardised packaging to discourage these children from starting this life-threatening habit and to prioritise children’s health over tobacco company profits.”

Professor Gerard Hastings, a Cancer Research UK funded social marketing expert based at the University of Stirling, and an author on the paper, said: “Our research confirms previous studies that both the pack and the product are powerful marketing tools in the hands of the tobacco industry which it is using to recruit a new generation of smokers. It’s time policy makers moved to standardise both.”

Cancer Research UK’s campaign for standardised packaging has also had some high profile support, including from Lucy Briers, actress and daughter of Richard Briers. She said: “My father was a smoker for most of his life and his cigarette habit caused the emphysema that killed him – it’s heartbreaking to think that if he had given up sooner we might have had more time with him. But smoking is a very hard habit to break; it's better never to have started.

“I know because I started smoking as a teenager and found it extremely difficult to give up. It’s shocking how glamorous and sophisticated modern cigarette packets are – there are even some that look like lipsticks! Like any teenage girl, easily-influenced by what looks ‘cool’, I would have loved these packs.

“By removing all branding and design from tobacco packaging and taking away the 'cool' factor, I am certain cigarettes would be less attractive to children and give them one less reason to take up smoking. I fully support this legislation, which will be crucial in protecting the health of impressionable young people.”

Mumsnet CEO and co-founder, Justine Roberts, said: 'Very few parenting issues are completely black and white, but nobody wants their child to start smoking. Standardised packs may not be a silver bullet, but Mumsnet users are clear that they'd be very happy to see them as part of a range of measures to discourage children from getting hooked.'

You can watch and share Cancer Research UK’s shocking new film here: http://bit.ly/HKG5Rc

For more information about Cancer Research UK’s campaign for standardised packaging, please visit cruk.org/standard-packs.

*Adolescent perceptions of cigarette appearance. European Journal of Public Health. Ford et al: The study by Cancer Research UK researchers at the University of Stirling asked 48 boys and girls from Glasgow about their views of eight cigarette brands differing in length, diameter, colour and decorative design. The eight cigarettes were: a longer length brown cigarette, a superking size with imitation cork tip, three narrow slims and superslims cigarettes with white tips and decorative elements, a standard king size cigarette with an imitation cork tip, a white tipped king size cigarette and a short unfiltered white cigarette.

About Cancer Research UK

• Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research
• The charity’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
• Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated.
• Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates in the UK double in the last forty years.
• Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
• Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1861 or visit www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook