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30-11-09 FINAL PAYMENT MADE
Earlier today, Thomas made the final payment to DiabetesUK for the Kilimanjaro trek. Thomas had some £500.00
outstanding to be paid for 2009's trek, however, he donated a total of £900.00 - this represents the £500.00 outstanding balance,
with a further £400.00 being donated towards 2010's trek, still anticipated to be the cycle from the Andes to the Amazon in
South America. Thomas is delighted to have made the final payment, which now sees him donate almost £10,000 between 2007's,
2008's and 2009's treks, with a further £2,700 still left in our fundraising account!
28-11-09 2010 CHALLENGE YEAR
Thomas has alreeady started planning his challenges for next year.
He is aiming to complete, so far, a treble feat of challenges including:
- The Edinburgh Marathon, Scotland
- Cycling the Andes to the Amazon, South America
- Either The Boston Marathon, USA or The Berlin Marathon, Germany
Please note that these are still at the planning stage and may change as Thomas explores all his fundraising
options. Once the challenges are confirmed, a new website will be created accordingly.
12-11-09 BAHRAIN TRUE BLUES GERS SUPPORTERS CLUB
The Bahrain True Blues Rangers Supporter's Club did a fantastic job
for us by contributing towards a total of over £700 for our fundraising efforts! An incredible donation considering that George
Wilson who coordinated it all, had never met Thomas but was nonetheless impressed with his goals. We are delighted to say
that Rangers Football Club has voted the Bahrain TB's 'Rangers Supporters Club of the Week'. Congratulations to you all! To
find out more on this story, follow the link - http://www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk/articles/supporters-club-of-the-week-20091111_2254024_1873192/0,,5,00.html
02-11-09 PLEASE DONATE!
I was proud to say earlier that Thomas had successfully completed
all four of the challenges he set himself this year to help raise funds for DiabetesUK.
Please note that while this is the case, Thomas will continue to raise funds in the years to come and is
already lining up another exciting fundraising year for 2010, so we ask you to please keep donating! The challenges for 2009
may be over, but the fundraising goes on. Thomas has now completed CycleUK4DiabetesUK (2007), the Vietnam Experience (2008),
and now the Kilimanjaro Upandju Quadruple Challenge Year (2009). Thomas is set to undertake more challenges for 2010.
I will keep blogging on here until a new website for next year is created. Watch this space!
02-11-09 NEW YORK MARATHON UPDATE
I received a text from Thomas earlier this eeing stating:
"Marathon team GB flies home today following their limited success. Included of course is the newly knighted
Sir Thomas Wilson OBE who chose New York to achieve a lifetime best for the second time this year! Following the success of
his four challenges, he now heads Glasgow's Commonwealth committee. When interviewed, he said 'That's inspiring!'"
(The persons and situations mentioned in this post are fictatuous and we accept no liability nor responsibility
of same. It's only a wind up afterall - we can let our hair down now! Well, that is until 2010...)
01-11-09 NEW YORK MARATHON UPDATE
Thomas was over the moon today when it was confirmed that he achieved
a second personal best of the year with his time or the New York Marathon! The completion of this challenge alone would have
been enough, however, this unexpected personal best sees him accomplish his quadruple set of challenges with, what has to
be said, flying colours. Thomas will catch his flight home tomorrow evening and should arrive back in Glasgow on Tuesday morning
- to a hero's welcome!
29-10-09 THOMAS DEPARTS FOR THE BIG APPLE
In his final feat of the year, Thomas this morning flew down to London,
where he will then board a flight to New York to complete the NYC Marathon and in doing so, will hopefully complete the challenge
he set himself at the start of the year - to accomplish the Edinburgh Marathon, the The Three Peaks Challenge, Mount Kilimanjaro,
and finally, the New York Marathon!
09-10-09 CHARITY RACE NIGHT - A SUCCESS!
As stated in the previous post, The Malletsheugh Inn, Ayr Road, Newton
Mearns kindly offered to host a race night for our cause. The night included the races, raffle (with all prizes kindly donated
by local businesses) as well as a free buffet dinner - Steve and Lynne Hobbs' kind donation.
I am delighted to say that the niht, despite one r two hic-cups, was a great success and a thoroughly enjoyable
night! It turned out that a nearby bowling club was hosting a race night on the same day - a pure accident. This meant that
our numbers would be limited. However, between 35 and 45 people attended and managed to collect between them a staggering
£1080.00! This figure far exceeded that expected. Tickets went for £10pp (for approx 40 people); all raffle tickets were sold
(approx 200 in all) as well as the auction that took place for a pair of Status Quo tickets; official signed Rangers football;
as well as te offer of the head chef of the Malletsheugh Inn, Joe Kerr, to come to your house and cook a meal for you and
a party. A great contribution from 'the Joker'.
A massive thankyou to all who attended and gave plenty of their cash; as well as to Steve and Lynne Hobbs
for their invaluable contribution and ongoing support. Steve and Lynne own the Malletsheugh Inn - Wine, Dine and Grill, Ayr
Road, Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire (0141-616-3785) as well as Snooks Steakhouse, Westbourne Centre, Kelburn Street,
Barrhead, East Renfrewshire (0141-876-0229). Both restaurants are terrific and offer great food and great service at
great prices!
09-10-09 LOCAL BUSINESS CONTRIBUTIONS
The raffle at the recent race night that was hosted at the Malletsheugh
Inn would not have been possible had itnot for the local businesses who donated to our cause. These include:
Almond Florist (bunch of flowers), Lloyds Pharmacy (soap gift set), Boots Pharmacy (soap gift set), Shoe
Zone (for their extra-big contribution of a flat creen television and DVD player to be fitted beneath kitchen cupboards),
Iceland (box of chocolates), Tiddly Winks (kids' cuddly toys), Snooks Steakhouse, the Malletsheugh Inn, as well as the numerous
other businesses and individuals who offered their donations and support. Many, many thanks!
It is unfortunate to report that after the promise of a donation from Ian
Durrant, posted earlier in the month, a donation was not received.
25-09-09 MALLETSHEUGH CHARITY RACE NIGHT
Adam's place of work, The New Malletsheugh Inn, Ayr Road, Newton Mearns,
are hosting a race night for us that will include the races themselves, free buffet dinner, raffle, quiz and disco until late.
It is a full evening and nights entertainment. It is to take place on Saturday 3rd October at 19.30. All the organisation
has taken place, so now we only have to sell the tickets! Tickets are priced at a mere £10pp. If you would like to come to
what will be a great night out, either leave a comment on our guestbook (Make a Donation page) or alternatively, call the
Malletsheugh on 0141-616-3785.
25-09-09 BTB DONATION RECEIVED
As blogged already, the Bahrain True Blues Rangers Supporters Club
did a fantastic job in collecting donations from their members, putting them all together and donating it to us as a lump
sum. We received our cheque the other day for a whopping £700.00. This amount has now been added to our fundraising page and
as you can see, has made a massive difference to our balance so a big big thankyou to all those who donated, in particular,
George Wilson for overseeing it all!
25-09-09 KILIMANJARO PHOTOS
Thomas has now managed to collect all his photos from two digital
camera memory sticks, as well as his mobile phone and put them on the computer. As well as photos there are numerous videos,
including a full video diary from Thomas on the mountain. I will post these on the website in due course, but considering
there are over 500 items; this could take some time so please be patient!
17-09-09 UPANDJU UPDATE
To reiterate, Thomas is safely back home and is resting. He has asked
me to post a link to a recent article from the Times Newspaper...
15-09-09 UPANDJU UPDATE
I received a call from Thomas this morning who was enjoying brunch
in a Swahili restaurant. His meal consisted of a 2kg steak, available for £3! Today, along with the previous three days on
Safari, is being used as recovery time for Thomas, who stated that the Kilimanjaro Upandju is undoubtedly the hardest thing
he has ever done - harder than cycling Britain and Vietnam put together! He stated that he has had experience of climbing
mountains over the past couple of decades, however the sheer altitude of Kilimanjaro and the resulting altitude sickness really
took its toll. Nevertheless, he did summit and as stated, he was having lunch in a small restaurant, before catching his flight
later tionight that will bring him home. He is due back in Glasgow either on the evening of Wednesday 15th or early morning
of Thursday 16th. He summed up his Kilimanjaro challenge by saying that "I am glad I did it, but I would never do it again".
He also confirmed that Chelsea owner, Roman Abramvich DID collapse while trying to reach the summit, as newspapers reported
yesterday. Apparently, Roman was a day ahead of Thomas's party and as such, should have summited a day before Tom, however
it was known on the mountain that he did not summit, but had signed the book, stating that he was leaving the mountain.
10-09-09 THOMAS REACHES KILIMANJARO SUMMIT!
Thomas texted me early this morning with the news that he has reached
the aummit of Mount Kilimanjaro, and thus, has completed the Kilimanjaro Upandju! This sees Tom complete, so far, three of
his planned challenges, with only the New York Marathon remaining, set to be completed in November. Thomas said it was the
most challenging thing he has ever done and suffered from severe headaches, as well as hallucinations!! Despite the 000 foot
drops, plummetting nightly temperatures and advanaltitude sickness, Thomas was, rightly so, well proud of his efforts and
will now engage in more long distance running, in preparation for the upincoming marathon.
Thomas is sure to receive a rapturous reception on his return home!
05-09-09 IAN DURRANT DONATION
Adam, a lifetime blue nose, was pleasantly surprised when Rangers
legend Ian Durrant turned up for lunch at the Malletsheugh Inn, Newton Mearns. Leaving him in peace until after his meal,
I then mentioned the charity race night, set to take place at the same location on the 3rd of October. The race night is also
to include a raffle, with prizes. After a brief conversation, Ian kindly offered to donate either a football or strip, signed
by the current Rangers team! He said he will organise this in due course and drop it off before the big night. He's blue!
He's white! He's helping our charity night! Ian Durrant! Ian Durrant!
03-09-09 RACE NIGHT CONFIRMED
Steve and Lynne today confirmed that the charity race night is set
to go ahead at the New Malletsheugh Inn, Ayr Road, Newton Mearns on 3rd October. It is set to get underway at 7pm and go on
til late.
Tickets are priced at £10, and incredibly, this includes a full buffet dinner aswell! Depending on numbers,
we also hope to include a drink on arrival and maybe even your first bet free, however, this won't be decided until later.
A cabaret night was organised for Snooks Steakhouse, Barrhead at a similar time ast year and proved to be a major success.
We hope this one will be every bit as good.
For the record, Adam has offered to work full night, and donate all wages to the charity. What can
I say, I'm a nice guy!
02-09-09 UPANDJU UPDATE
Thomas departed Glasgow Central yesterday morning, heading for London
Euston. After he arrived at the Aurora Hotel, he e-mailed me:
"Arrived at the hotel and was met by Steven the manager who asked about my trek and has given me my evening
meal and full breakfast as well. He even offered to put me up on my return. He said that if I was doing anything similar next
year then get in touch and take it as read that he would do the same again. How kind eh?? He says that he would be more than
willing to help others but in a year only gets about 6 such requests.. Proves truly that you dont get if you dont ask!"
The manager of the Aurora Heathrow Hotel, Steve Van Herwijnen, apparently asked to meet Thomas in person
upon his arrival at the hotel. He was delighted to be helping our cause and as Thomas stated, offered him complimentary evening
meal and english breakfast during his overnight stay. He also stated that he would be happy to accommodate Thomas upon his
return to the UK, and offered similar accommodation, should Thomas decide to do another challenge next year.
This was a very nice touch by Mr Van Herwijnen, and is sure to give Thomas a boost before his departure
for Kenya today. More updates to follow!
01-09-09 THOMAS LEAVES FOR KILIMANJARO!
The heading speaks for itself. Today, Thomas caught his 9am train
from Glasgow Central to London. Thomas' train tickets were generously donated by Virgin Trains. He will stay overnight at
London Heathrow, thanks to complimentary accomodation, courtesy of the Arora Hotel, Heathrow. Both of these contributions
are pivotal to the feat getting off to a good start, so a very big thankyou to those concerned. Access to the websites of
both Virgin and Arora, can be found on the sponsors page. Thomas is set to arrive back in Glasgow on 16-09-09. I will updae
the blog as and when I hear from him, so keep checking back for his progress.
We wish him all the luck in the world!!
01-09-09 FIRST PAYPAL DONATION
More great news for Thomas! On the same day as we confirm our first
JustGiving donation; we can also confirm that we have received our first donation, using Paypal. People may only relate paypal
with ebay, however paypal can be used for many other purposes, inclucharity donations. A gentleman, who is a member of the
Bahrain True Blues Rangers Supporters Club (who have already collected a massive sum of money for us over there!) donated
a sum of Bahraini Dinar, which at current exchange rates, equates to a whopping £144.70! This is an incredible sum and came
as a total surprise to us, as we did not know the gentleman involved. However, Thomas checked with the friend of a friend
of a friend and it was confirmed that he was a member of the BTB. I will withdraw this sum from the Paypal account and add
it to our fundraising account today. A fantastic contribution and a very big thankyou to this individual!
01-09-09 FIRST JUSTGIVING DONATION
We are delighted to announce that we received our first donation through
our JustGiving website last week. A donation of £10 from a gentleman in Pollokshields, Glasgow was further enhanced thanks
to Gift Aid - where the chariy can reclaim tax on the donation, which heightens the figure to nearer £13. A very big thankyou
to the gentleman concerned! We realise that it can sometimes be difficult to donate to a cause involving who are, with respect,
total strangers, so it makes these donations all the more welcomed. The donation is given directly to the charity, and so
it will be added to the 'total donated to DiabetesUK' as opposed to our own fundraising account.
26-08-09 VANGO BECOMES OFFICIAL SPONSOR
Thomas received a terrific boost, soon before his departure for Tanzania.
Outdoor specialists, Vango, have become our official sponsor, following their invaluable contribution of a top of the range
thermal sleeping bag, suitable for high altitudes and resultant below-freezing conditions. As well as this, they have also
contributed a cotton liner, thermal undermat, 35L bag pack, 2 Vango walking poles and thermos flask. They were even willing
to donate a tent, which was not required. A special thankyou to Vango marketing assistant, Holly Marsh for all her help! Please
see their logo throughout the website and click the pictures to be taken to their site.
10-08-09 THE BAHRAIN TRUE BLUES
It just goes to show you how small a world it really is! A friend
of a friend of a friend of Thomas is a member of the Bahrain True Blues - the Rangers Football Supporters Club, based between
Saudi Arabia and Qatar, in the heart of the Persian Gulf. Incredible to think that the Scottish Champions can have such a
vast fan-base of supporters, dotted all across the globe. Not only that, but diabetes runs very closely to this member that
Thomas knows and as soon as he heard of our challenges and fundraising efforts; he called on his fellow members to donate
to our cause. They are raising money over there as I type and the total raised has yet to be announced, however in the meantime,
they have sent over a Bahrain True Blues polo shirt for Thomas to wear as he climbs Mount Kilimanjaro. They have made it XXL
so that it will fit over Thomas's heavy thermal jacket. It's brilliant that these guys, so far away, have went to such trouble
to help our cause. A very big thankyou to you all! Follo... ah never mind...
30-07-09 PRESS COVERAGE AND MORE PAGES
The website received a face-lift this morning, with a few more pages
being added. Thomas has been delighted with the coverage he has received from various newspapers, namely the Barrhead News,
the Paisley Daily Express and the Evening Times. So much so, that he has asked that a dedicated page be added to the website,
showing the newspaper articles that we have been featured in over the years. These articles can now be viewed in 'Press Coverage'.
A very big thankyou to all the papers who have covered us to date. Hopefully more will be added soon. In addition to this,
the 'Additional Feats' page has been added, which details Thomas' quadruple challenge year including the Edinburgh Marathon,
the Three Peaks Challenge, The Kilimanjaro Upandju itself, as well as the New York Marathon.
26-07-09 ELLEN RUTHERFORD DONATION
Thomas recently had an entire page 3 spread on the 3 peaks challenge
in the Paisley Express. The article described the immediate challenge and how it was to act as a training excersise for eventually
climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. After reading the article, a local lady, Ellen Rutherford, contacted Thomas, saying she wished
to make a donation to our cause. Her husband, who has now passed, suffered from the condition and Ellen decided to take it
upon herself to look after him by cooking healthy meals and ensuring he got enough excersise. Ellen managed to keep her husband's
annual blood sugar readings entirely in single figures - a great accomplishment considering that diabetes tends to get more
difficult to control the older you get. She donated £50, that has now been added to our running total. Thankyou Ellen - and
to all the others who have donated/sponsored to date.
23-07-09 THOMAS COMPLETES 3-PEAKS CHALLENGE!
As Kilimanjaro edges ever closer at little over a month away, Thomas
has prepared superbly by completing the UK's 3 Peaks Challenge well within the 24 hours set. Just to recap, the challenge
involves climbing the biggest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdonia respectively),
all within a space of 24 hours! It is still incredible to think that the combined height of these three mountains is little
over half that of Kilimanjaro. The challenge begins at the foot of Ben Nevis and is considered completed when the top of Snowdonia
is reached. If the challenge takes longer than 24 hours, it must be deemed a failure. Thomas completed it in 22 hours and
25 minutes and what's more - not only did he reach the top of Snowdonia within the allocated time; he reached the bottom again
in the allocated time. There are many photos of this challenge, all of which will be posted on here in due course.
17-07-09 THOMAS ALL SET FOR 3-PEAKS CHALLENGE
On the day that it was revealed that collection cans taken from Fraser's
Pharmacy, Barrhead as well as a fundraising event held at Barrhead Sports Centre totalled over £60.00; Thomas set off from
home to begin his arduous three-peaks challenge. The challenge consists of climbing the tallest peak in Scotland, England
and Wales all in the space of 24 hours! This includes Scafell Pike, England (3,209ft); Snowdown, Wales (3,560ft); and of course
Ben Nevis, Scotland (4,409ft). This totals 11,178ft - 67% the height of Kilimanjaro. I have just heard from Thomas who says
he will shortly reach the town of Fort William and will begin his ascent of Ben Nevis around 1600 or 1700 hrs today.
02-07-09 80% PAID TO DIABETESUK
A small landmark was made today when it was confrmed that a recent
£2300 payment to DiabetesUK for the Kilimanjaro trek meant that to date, 80% of the trek has been paid for. Remember that
any money given to DiabetesUK either from our Justgiving website; collection cans; or as payment for the trek itself; helps
fund the charity's ongoing research in finding a cure and supporting those affected.
30-06-09 SHEENA'S SWISHING PARTY
Sheena, a friend and colleague of Thomas's held a swishing party
(in lamen's terms: a bring and buy sale) for the benefits of our fundraising. She held it in a friend's house and raised an
impressive £91.00. A very big thankyou to Sheena for her donation (and for informing us of what exactly a swishing party is
which, until now, neither Thomas nor Adam had heard of!)
22-05-09 BARRHEAD NEWS SUPPORT
The Barrhead News have kindly offered their support and coverage for
a third time as Thomas puts Kilimanjaro alongside Vietnam and Britain on his fundraising locations. As Thomas stated, 'We
are glad that the Barrhead News have joined our fundraising ship!' I'm worried altitude sickness has set in, before the climb
has started!
19-05-09 SECOND CHARITY DINNER AGREED
The fundraising last year received a very welcome boost when close
neighbours, Steve and Lynne Hobbs (owners of Snooks Steakhouse in Barrhead), agreed to host a charity dinner, where vast sums
were given to DiabetesUK. It was very encouraging when the night was to be held with Dean Park doing a cabaret, however unfortunate
circumstances meant Dean Park could not attend. Another cabaret had to be arranged and turned out to be very entertaining
indeed. Given the success of last yuear's dinner and the vast sums it raised, Steve and Lynne have kindly agreed to host a
second chairty dinner with this one being 'bigger and better than last year's' (their words, not ours). Steve and Lynne also
own the Malletsheugh Inn in Newton Mearns. We are very grateful for their continued support. Links to both websites can be
found in the links and sponsors page.
18-05-09 NEW YORK MARATHON ENTRY
Thomas has received automatic entry into the New York Marathon. For
those non-runners out there, this is actually far easier said than done. Due to the demand for the biggest running event in
the world, entry is very difficult to achieve and often requires a displayed high standard of fitness. To receive an automatic
entry is all the more impressive. Thomas had to give a record, with proof, of his running times over the past year. With Thomas
believing he is running better now than at any other point in his life; it is no wonder that the selection committee were
impressed. This marathon in October, together with the Edinburgh Marathon this year, have been included in Thomas's list of
this year's fundraising events. Please get in touch if you wish to support him on his great challenges.
18-05-09 1 DOWN, 2 TO GO
From 15th May to 17th May, Thomas underwent the best possible practice
for his venture, by climbing Mount Snowdon in Snowdon National Park, North Wales. This was the first stage of Thomas's impressive
goal to climb the three biggest peaks in Britain's three countries - Snowdon (Wales), Ben Nevis (Scotland), and Scafell
Pike (England). Between them, they soar to a total height of 3,407m (11,177ft!) - just 4,000ft short of the Kilimanjaro summit.
The weekend was a thoroughly enjoyable success, despite the severely adverse weather at the time. Indeed, the weather was
so bad, that many mountaineers were being turned away by Mountain Rescue, who claimed that the final ascent was too risky.
Thomas apprently displayed the knowledge and caution required to make Mountain Rescue let him through, much to his delight.
The climb was photographed throughout - see opposite column.
12-05-09 DUNFERMLINE HALF MARATHON DONATION
Thomas recently ran the Dunfermline half marathon to keep his fitness
up. It was one of many many such runs he is doing in the coming weeks and months. Whilst on the half marathon, a fellow runner
ran past him and shouted, "Great charity! I'll see you at the finish line". Needless too say he finished before Thomas (must
have been fast!). At the finish line, he approached Thomas and handed him a £10 donation, stating that his father had suffered
from the condition and he was a big supporter of DiabetesUK and their work. This donation has been added to the running total
on the 'Finances' page.
09-04-09 THOMAS'S TRAINING WEEKEND
An exciting update regarding Thomas's preparation for the Kilimanjaro
Upandju. From 15th-17th of April, Thomas is attending a training event in Penn-Y-Pass, North Wales (paid for in full, out
of Thomas's own pocket). During the weekend visit, he will be taking part in climbing training and pother preparation for
this fundraising trek. The weekend is seen as being a vital tool for Thomas's overall training. As a side-note, even though
it is not technically mountain climbing, Thomas takes part, everyday, in training or fitness excersises. He has been running
anearly all his life and in his own words, he feels he has not ran as well at any other point in his life. He is getting personal
best after personal best and is very confident his fitness is the very best it can be. It will need to be!
08-04-09 COLLECTION CANS
A total of over £40 was added to our total recently from collection
cans (See 'Money Raised' page). These cans came from both Arthurlie Inns and Frasers Pharmacy, Barrhead. The collection cans,
although we do not add them to our own total, the money goes straight to DiabetesUK, with no middle-man, therefore we add
it to our total for money the charity has received to date. A very big thankyou to anyone who put their loose change in these
cans. As you can see, it really does add up!
01-02-09 WEBSITE IS BORN!
Today saw the birth of the third and most recent website of Thomas
Wilson's trio of dedicated fundraising events. This, for 2009, is the complete climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa.
As always, all training including the incredible feat itself will be done by Thomas, with the maintenance and updating of
the website being the responsibility of his son, Adam. Feel free to check our other fundraising websites (addresses given
on request). This site will be updated on a regular basis so don't forget to check back soon!
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