Do you remember the wonderful project we set up on the night of Matt's funeral, which we called Doing an Elliott. Matt left us with amazing memories of his energy, inspiration and a more than a faint whiff of adventure... It was the combined work of those happy memories, the tributes of dozens of his finest friends and probably far too many glasses of red wine, but that little spark has germinated into some truly incredible ideas...
Doing an Elliott is essentially about making the most of that time off. It's about being proud of the life you lead and making sure you have a legacy that you would be happy to leave behind. It is about doing something scary, something challenging, perhaps something generous? It's about asking when you last left your comfort zone far, far behind and pushed a few boundaries? What was the last thing that made you feel really... ALIVE!!!
Well, we'd like to tell you about four exciting developments from the Doing an Elliott camp for 2011...
Perhaps you watched the marathon this weekend and thought 'Yeah? I should do that next year!' Well, our own high energy athlete Nick Peters did exactly that a few months ago when he signed up for an incredible adventure challenge in Matt's name. Heralded as one of the most difficult endurance races in the World, Nick spent last week running the Marathon des Sables - a 250km race across the Sahara spread across a sweltering six days. It was a truly amazing effort: he finished 377 out of 938 participants and raised over 4,500 pounds for Kids Co. He told us how it felt:
"It was an adventure like nothing I have ever experienced! The MDS is not a "race" in the normal sense of the word. It is a severe physical and mental test. You visit some very very dark places, and I think get to know the real you. You will have big highs and severe lows. The conditions are severe and everything all together make it what it is. Am I glad I did it, of course I am! Would I recommend it, for sure! And I would support anyone 100% throughout - it is worth it!"Sporting success...
Once a year, Matt's friends and family congregate in Hackney for an afternoon of rugby and a few ales in Matt's memory. The event is organised and run by Matt's old rugby club Hackney RFC, and participation is positively encouraged. It is a knock-out tournament open to all (irrespective of age, ability or fitness) - come along and get involved! Whether you are a sprightly scrumhalf, an overindulged 'would-be' or a classic has-been, or indeed an enthusiastic cheerleader and supporter, please join us for a sociable afternoon in the sunshine*. For more details click on timing etc click here. There will be a prestigious awards ceremony and an opportunity to drink, eat and chew the fat after the exertions of the afternoon at the Marina Bar, a family-friendly location close to the rugby (6pm to 8pm-ish). We would be delighted if you could join us for this to round off the day's sporting events!(*sunshine subject to availability).
Matt's March...
On the 15th May, Sarah and Rick will be setting off on an 48-day trek across the Pyrenees which they have imaginatively called Matt's March. This blog will bring you coverage of the adventure - please explore the site to find out more about our big challenge. We are launching our challenge on the night of the 14th May, so do join us if you can for some sporting fun at the rugby and afterwards for a few ales to send us off in style.
Tackling your demons...
Back at Doing an Elliott base camp, the Elliott's have been working on a few projects of their own. We started by tackling one of the challenges laid down on the night of Matt's funeral. Last year, Sarah attempted to tackle her needle-phobia by giving blood. Sadly they told her that she'd been to far too many mysterious and malarial places, but could she come back in 2011. Sweating it out for six months gave her the chance to recruit a few friends for moral support and, in total, seven of us gave blood last Wednesday. Our amazing cousin Tom and his gorgeous fiancee Lucie have even asked their wedding guests to give blood as a matrimonial gift... here are a few images from the day:
No comments:
Post a Comment