Inspiration

A couple of months ago I was at an event, nothing to do with OurRebekah, which was attended by the mayor and our local MP. Chatting to them I said it must be quite a task to have to keep attending events like this week in week out.

They both corrected me saying how much they enjoyed meeting people and chatting, how these people from all walks of life gave them inspiration.

I know what they mean. When it comes to writing this daily blog I am never short of things to write about, there is always such a lot happening. These "things" give me inspiration, I hope they inspire all who are involved with OurRebekah. Yesterday 99 people read the blog. How many will read today's edition ?

My day began with a text from Gary telling me to check out Sheffield Wednesday's website and look at what the club had done for the match-day programme on Sunday. It is a special, extra special 150 page souvenir edition celebrating the club's 150th birthday. The OurRebakah photograph and article have been included. Thank you to Trevor and his fellow club directors for such wonderful support. I am looking forward so much to being part of the capacity crowd at Sunday's game.

Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday.

Don't forget you can sponsor Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham as you CHEER ON THE TEAM.

Yesterday I met three very special people who were an inspiration to me.

Professor Mark Birkinshaw, left, Research Associate Alistaire Fraser, right and Dr Michael Masheder, below left.

These are three of the top men in their field. The last thing I am is a scientist and I must admit much of what they said was far beyond my comprehension but I still found it fascinating.

They talked Quantum Physics, I talked Philosophy but I think our minds met and I came away very much inspired and full of gratitude to the trio for their time.

I had gone to Bristol University to visit its radio telescope. This is something I had promised myself for many years that I would do this and yesterday my ambition was reaalised.

The distances this telescope can see are unbelievable, measured in hundreds of billions of light years. The telescope was paid for by an old friend of mine. I wanted to see what he had given to the university but also I wanted to take photographs I can use to support our Fire A Rocket For Beck project. Updating the web page and launching, pardon the pun, is now high up on my doings list.

At the other end of the academic spectrum are my granddaughters, Katherine and Frances. Katherine is in Year One at school and Frances is in nursery school. Here they are signing cards for families in Ronald McDonald Houses.

You can Sign A Card, just click the link.

Here's another picture from yesterday where Katherine is printing some posters for the Doggie Treasure Hunt.

Next week I  will be blitzing the publicity to bring as many doggies to the treasure hunt as I possibly can.

Katherine's Dad is Managing Lawyer at The Environment Agency, I have told him he had better make sure we have good weather for the event.

Yesterday Chase added his name to the guest list. Make sure you register your four legged friend to come and join in the fun.

I have been working though the many pages in our website, updating information and cleaning a few typo's. I have now reached T in the alphabetical list so that brings me to The Bridge House.

I am very much wanting to get back to writing as a relief from running all of these projects.

So that's the update for today, almost as much happening as the number of light years Bristol University's radio telescope can see !

Speak again tomorrow.

Fire A Rocket For Beck

Today is going to be a bit of a special day for me.

I am spending the day at the Astro Physics Department as we prepare a new OurRebakah project.

We are going to FIRE A ROCKET TO BECK.

When Rebekah passed away a former student of mine, a lovely lady - TANYA, told me to go out into the garden and look up to the sky. The brightest star would be Rebekah.  That mean a lot, Tanya today your thought will take on a new meaning. At the university I will be shown how the radio telescope works.

A friend of Rebekah's, Elaine, paid for a star to be named Rebekah Deer. A wonderful gift in her memory.

I took Tanya's words and changed them a little bit - GO OUT INTO THE GARDEN, LOOK UP TO THE SKY AND THE STAR THAT IS SMILING WILL BE REBEKAH DEER.

The radio telescope on the roof of Bristol University was paid for by by an old friend of mine, Bill. 

Professor Birkinshaw at the university will be showing me round and explaining how it works. I am sure my simple brain will not comprehend the complexities of such a sophisticated piece of science. I have already explained to the professor that A RADIO TELESCOPE IS NOT NEEDED TO FIND STAR REBEKAH - IT IS THE STAR THAT IS SMILING.

Tomorrow I will start the countdown to firing the rocket.

Beck's rocket, or rather rockets - there will be 15 of them, are not Apollo 11. Our rockets are fireworks.

I am going to pay myself for the rockets then give them to friends who want to join in the fun.

The rockets will be BIG display rockets, not the tiddly little things you buy in the supermarket !

These friends will then fire them into the sky on any of these dates. Friday 3rd November (that's my birthday BTW), Saturday 4th November or Sunday 5th November.

I need you to take a photograph of your rocket as it explodes in the sky. The photographs will then appear on a special page in the OurRebekah website.

Finally we want those who have fired the rockets to use social media to get people to view their pictures. We will invite people to sponsor the pictures for £2 each. (They can sponsor for more if hey wish)  All of the money will then be given to Ronald McDonald House in Bristol.

If we have 15 rockets and each rocket can attract 10 sponsors at £2 each - SURELY WE COULD ACHIEVE THAT -  Ronald McDonald House in Bristol would receive £300.

This is Gene Kranz, he was Flight Director for Apollo 11 when it landed on the moon way back in 1969. I

can remember that, I sat up all night watching black and white images on our old family television set. I saw Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon.

Gene is a special man who had a unique role in the history of mankind.

We now need to find our own Flight Directors, fifteen of you - one for each of our rockets. Once I have been to the university today and taken lots of photographs I will start looking for our flight directors.

Would you like to be one ?

Who do you think is the greatest football player England has ever produced ?

Who do you think is the greatest footballer England has ever produced ?

Wayne Rooney ?  I DON'T THINK SO !

George Best ?  HE WAS IRISH !

Barry Bannan ?  OK, he may be a friend of OurRebekah but Bazza is a SCOT !

Let's go back to the time in history when England was the greatest.

To the summer of 1966.

Now let me ask that question again ?

Who do you think is the greatest footballer England has ever produced ?

In my opinion it has to be this man. No question about it.

Gordon Banks who played in goal for Stoke City and England. There has never been such a skilled keeper since Gordon. He was, of course, the keeper for England in our 1966 victory, the last time England played football properly.

Gordon lives in the Staffordshire village of Madeley, just a couple of streets away from where my grandmother Lily was born and grew up.

Gordon's agent helped us with our e-bay project. We have just put on to e-bay this autograohed poster together with an authentic 1966 world-cup programme and a sew on patch from that season of victory.

We are auctioning this trio of items for Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham Click the name and check this house out.

Fifty-one years ago the original owner of the programme lovingly filled in the names of the players and the scores throughout the tournament.

This trio of items must be worth a lot. PLEASE CLICK HERE to visit our e-bay auction site. PLEASE help us raise the maximum for Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham PLEASE tell all of your friends and social media contacts about our e-bay auction site and of Gordon's contribution.

Speaking of football and football programmes I am NERVOUSLY looking forward to Sunday and my visit to Sheffield to see Sheffield Wednesday play against Sheffield United in front of a capacity sell out crowd.

NERVOUSLY ?

My photograph is to appear in 40,000 programmes. My photograph and the short article I have written about OurRebekah.

I am not worried about what people may read in my text but OMG what will they make of the ugly old man on the left ?

I am going to buy programmes for Birmingham as well as the two Ronald McDonald Houses in San Francisco and the amazing fun house we have just linked up with in Nashville Tennessee. Every time I go to watch a game I am going to buy a scarf and give it to a football fan in Birmingham.

Don't forget to CHEER ON THE TEAM and to sponsor every goal the boys score to support Birmingham.

Today I am busy preparing for a visit tomorrow to Bristol University's Astro Physics Department as we chat over the OurRebekah project Fire A Rocket to Beck in support of

Ronald McDonald House Bristol.

Yesterday the professor in charge of the department sent me a fun e-mail warning me the radio telescope is on top of the university's building.

OK - OK -OWN UP !

Who told him I am scared of heights.

Was it the OurRebekah supporter who manages the trust who controls this building on the left ?  Commonly known as The Northampton Lighthouse, the tallest building outside London.

Dianne, I am planning to come to chat with you in a week or so about my going to the top of this building for an OurRebekah challenge. It was you who leaked my fear to Professor Birkinshaw wasn't it ?

Come and dance the Tennessee Waltz

Do you believe in Destiny ?

I do.

If you have read any of my books you will see how Destiny steers the characters through the different plots. But that is fiction, what I am bout to share is FACT.

Driving in the car yesterday I picked up a CD and popped it into the player. CLICK HERE and listen to the first track. 

Go on, don't skip doing that CLICK HERE. 

Beautiful piece of music, yeh ?

Do you recognise it ?

The Tennessee Waltz.

You did CLICK HERE didn't you ? You are listening ? 

You better had be !

When I got home I checked out if there was a Ronald McDonald House in the US State of Tennessee. 

There are a few. I looked at The Nashville House. My love of music pointed me to check out Nashville before looking at others. I did not get beyond Nashville.

I am going to send an e-mail to Ronald McDonald House Nashville and ask them to check this blog. Guys I love your website, I love the way you have presented what you are doing. I love the detail you go in to.

I like the way you have organised your volunteers. Wish I was a bit closer, I would love to be a meal volunteer. I would cook you some BRITISH nosh - Bangers and Mash, Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding. Who knows, one day perhaps. British Airways does have direct flights from Heathrow to Nashville.

I think the picture you have hanging above the fire place is a bit special. The House of Love.

Ronald McDonald house in Birmingham, England, also says that - THE HOUSE THAT LOVE BUILT.  CLICK HERE to find out about Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham.

Our Sheffield Wednesday project supports Birmingham. 

You guys in Nashville have probably never heard of Sheffield Wednesday.  It's a football club. YES football NOT soccer - this is England you know.

On Sunday I am going to watch a game, a special game against Sheffield United.  We call that a local derby game, there will be 40,000 people there. This picture will be in the match-day programme together with an article I have written about Ronald McDonald Houses and OurRebekah

I'm the old guy on the left. Gary and I are being presented with a ball autographed by the players. We will be auctioning the ball for Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham. I am going to buy a copy of he programme for the house to give to a football fan staying there. I'll get a second and send one to Nashville for you to give to give to a FOOTBALL fan.

Well guys, destiny put The Tennessee Waltz into my car's CD player then steered me to your website. Every time I hear that tune I will think of you all. LOVE YOUR WEBSITE. He's an old Englishman sending love to the families from OurRebekah to the families in your house, The House That Love Built.

JFDI

The founder and CEO of Iceland Foods is Malcolm Walker. He has a no nonsense attitude towards ruining his business.....

JFDI - Just f*!*ing do it.

Our world is full of people who pontificate, faff about, talk, talk, talk and do nothing ! My sixty-seventh birthday is racing towards me, I don't have time to faff about I have to JFDI. My version of JFDI is a bit more polite than Malcolm's.

My outlook is LIFE IS A DISCO SO DANCE. Only the boring people stand on the side and listen to the music, the fun people are on the floor dancing.

I have also been known to say LIFE IS A JAGUAR SO DON'T DRIVE IT LIKE A KNACKERED OLD FORD FOCUS !

I used to drive a Ford Focus, rubbish car, before I traded it in against for my Jag.

I used to lead a boring existence but when I was aged about three, it could have been four, I decided to JFDI.

Until the day I depart this mortal coil I will dance the disco, I will drive my life like a Jaguar and I will JFDI.

As I co-ordinate the different projects within OurRebekah this philosophy prevails.

For the entire game, save for the last minute of injury time, the boys from Sheffield JDFI'd their way through the play. How the heck did Cardiff City manage to score an equaliser with 60 seconds of play left.

You had better JFDI when I am at Hillsborough next Sunday.

That one goal that was scored by Gary Hooper and earned £10 for Ronald McDonald House - Birmingham.

Now one thing I will not be JFDI-ing is to write a blog tomorrow. At 4am I will be pointing the car in a south-westerly direction and heading to Bristol. As well as spending the week looking after my two granddaughters I will be visiting Bristol University's Astro Physics Department, in particular its radio telescope.

This is to launch OurRebekah's FIRE A ROCKET TO BECK project.

How the heck did you manage to arrange that you may answer ?

JFDI my friends JFDI.

When Gary and I go to Hillsborough on the 24th we will find the club has changed its match-day programme for its biggest game of the season, the sell out local derby against Sheffield United to include the OurRebekah photograph and text. the printers were instructed to make the last minute alteration. How did we manage to pull that off ?

JFDI - JFDI.

The days to my frog challenge in support of Ronald McDonald House Oxford are racing away. It will soon be Saturday 30th September.  I am terrified, absolutely terrified.

I spent all of yesterday and will need to spend most of the morning today putting together all the practical bits and pieces for the day.

So how am I going to cope with my biggest fear in life, the phobia I have had since I was six years old ?

JFDI my friends JFDI

I don't have a lot of time and even less patience with those who can not JFDI.

No blog tomorrow so I will speak to you again on Tuesday. Now YOU go out and JFDI !

I am angry !

62 people read the blog yesterday, numbers down a lot but that's not what is making me angry. I'll explain in a moment. I wonder how many friends will read what I am about to say today. I am about to rant and rave. I hope what I have to say will be read by a lot of people.

Yesterday evening I decided to treat myself, I went to a Chinese take away to buy a mushroom chowmein, love that dish.  While I was waiting for the food to be cooked I picked up a copy of the local newspaper, nobody reads this any longer but I wondered what its pages had to say.

I was horrified to find that the NSPCC has purchased a third of a page for a full colour advert looking for people to take part in The Milton Keynes Big Fun Run. That's the same event OurRebekah has people taking part in. Our little team has already raised in excess of £700 for Ronald McDonald House in London.

I wondered how much money the NSPCC spent on that full colour advert.  If a charity can throw away money like that then I suggest it is not a cause worthy of support. You may disagree but that advert made me angry.

EVERY single penny generated by OurRebekah goes directly to Ronald McDonald House Charities, not a single penny is spent on administration.  I cover ALL costs myself, every penny every person gives goes to the cause.

Earlier in the day I had read of a charity organising an absailing event down a not particularly tall building. What I read made me more than angry, it disgusted me. I was and I still am furious.

To take part you first of all had to pay £25.

WHY ?

I can not imagine for a moment the owners of the building would charge to use it for the event. If by chance they were charging then may I suggest they shove their not particularly tall building where the sun does not shine.

Then every person taking part has to undertake to raise a minimum of £200. Raise £199.99p and the organisers do not want you.

Obviously the organizers are not looking for SUPPORTERS but for CASH COWS.  The individuals taking part in their not very spectacular absailing event do not matter as people, all that is wanted is their money !

That made me so cross I have decided once our Frog Challenge and our Doggie Treasure Hunt have taken place I am going to investigate an absailing event down a TALL building.

NO there will NOT be a £25 registration fee.

NO there will not be a demand that every person taking part raises a minimum of £200.

Within OurRebekah there are times when I have used the word donate but I prefer where possible to use the word SUPPORT.  Support does not have to mean money.

Let me tall you about two special people, two very different people. Neither have given OurRebekah a single penny but from both their SUPPORT is beyond measure.

The first is a dear and very long-standing friend of my family, a lady in her late eighties.  Here she can be seen signing cards to families in Ronald McDonald House Birmingham. That is support !

Yesterday she asked me for some more leaflets telling people about our Doggie Treasure Hunt.  She wanders round her local park stopping people who are walking their dogs and telling them about the treasure hunt.

I find that rather special, don't you ?

What she is doing is much more powerful than squandering money on a full colour advert in a newspaper that nobody reads anyway !  What she is doing does not demand from dog walkers a £25 registration fee and a minimum sponsorship of £200 !

I took her for lunch yesterday to thank her for what she had done. I paid. I wonder what kind of a thank you the NSPCC fun runners or the absailers will get ?  Do cash cows receive thanks ?

I asked this very special lady if she would be one of the supervisors at my Frog Challenge on Saturday 30th September.

She did not hesitate for a single moment. As she accepted she suggested a fun  way she could count the the thirty seconds while the frog is in my hands.

THAT MY FRIENDS IS SUPPORT !

The second person I want to tell you about I have mentioned on the blog before, mentioned him several times but have never included his photograph.  The guy is a bit camera shy, I have Google searched for a picture but can not find one. That is a bit odd considering who he is.

Trevor is the communications director for Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.  A very powerful man in the world of sport. The support he has given to OurRebekah is amazing.  How many organisations do you know that have been in existence for just over three months who can pick up a phone and get through to the personal number of a director within a major football club ?  

OurRebekah can !  

Not because we are anything special, because Club Director Trevor is special.

Trevor had on his desk this picture, taken last Sunday at the club when the football autographed by players was presented to OurRebekah for the e-bay project. Trevor had within his e-mail inbox the short article I wrote to go with the picture. NOTE the use of the past tense, had not has.

Being cheeky I asked him if it could possibly appear in the programme for Sunday 24th September, for the sell-out local derby game against Sheffield United.  Not for a single moment did I expect that to happen. 

The editorial pages for that game's programme would have been set down weeks ago, the printers would just be waiting for the latest club news before printing FORTY THOUSAND COPIES. 

Trevor moved heaven and earth, the picture and my article will appear in the programme for the club's biggest game of the season. 

THAT MY FRIENDS IS SUPPORT !

THAT MY FRIENDS IS LOVE !

When it comes to support I am proud with that OurRebekah is achieving. We have so far raised £1,344 for Ronald McDonald Houses but the LOVE runs into millions.

We will NEVER seek cash cows to be part of what we do. SUPPORT DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN MONEY. SUPPORT ALWAYS MEANS LOVE.

I am never short of material to write opn this page each day, The Wave Of Love is never short of special people surfing with us. I ALWAYS thank everyone as quickly as possible for their support. There will NEVER be a cash cow within anything we do. There will never be a single person who is not thanked for what they bring to our wave of love.