ITS NEARLY HERE!

And the final preparations are taking place guys!! Just over 24 hours until it all kicks off, and the excitement is building!! Cannot believe how quickly time has flown, but it really is shaping up to be an awesome day. Raffle tickets are going thick and fast, people are going crazy for those prizes, and rightly so. There will still be some to sell on the day, so don't worry if you haven't been able to get any yet, you're still in with a shot of getting some stellar prizes.

Cake wise, we have been blessed with amazing friends, who have produced some delicious treats to be bought on the day. Charlie Dunn has made an astonishing 67 cupcakes for your delight. I may have sampled one. Only one, honest. They are scrummy!

Alongside these, the very gorgeous Lucy-Jayne will be providing muffins, whoopie pies, and other assorted cakes. I shall be purchasing a rather large percentage of these myself, as calories do not count if the proceeds are for charity, I checked with Jesus.

We also have banana loaf and chocolate goodie bags which will be for sale at Arley, so come along and stuff your faces.

So a quick recap of the day: the cyclists will be arriving at Arley around 11.30am. Ben Frogatt of Venture Bikes will be on hand to check the safety of all the bikes and be on hand in case any of the cyclists need a hand with setting up etc. The train is due to depart at 12.56, and so the race begins and the cycle team will be off. The riders will follow a similar route to the train, get to Kidderminster station and then set back to complete the second leg of the race.

Meanwhile, lots of fun and games will be taking place at Arley, with our silent auction, raffle, cake stand, balloon pop, Chase the Race board and general fun and frolics.

Now, the star attraction at Arley will no doubt be Mr Nathan Carvell; man, maverick, gentleman. Due to the tragic loss of the use of his arm (he's broken it, it's not fallen off or anything), Nathan will not be able to join the cyclists on their journey. He will however, be adding his sweat to the mix, lovely mental image I know, by 'racing' alongside the riders on a Turbo trainer (a stationary bike). Yes you can come and point and laugh at him, and bung some dollar into his Macmillan bucket at the same time.

The support we have recieved so far has been amazing, and we are so grateful to everyone whose helped out, however big or small the contribution, please know it is greatly appreciated. 

All proceeds from the day, sponsorship, cake sales, raffle, silent auction, basically EVERYTHING will be going to Macmillan. And anyone who has ever had any dealings with Macmillan will no how essential the work they do is. Not only do they provide vital assistance and care to people suffering with cancer, but also to their families and friends. They really are life savers, in every way that term can be interpreted. So please, even if you can't come down on the day, click on the justgiving link at the side of the page and show your support. It doesn't matter how big or small your contribution is, it will make a real difference.

Any questions about the day, the events, the prizes, Nathans arm, or the cakes, please contact us via here, the facebook, twitter, or carrier pigeon.

Can't wait to see you guys on the day.

Travel/getting to the event

Hey guys, just a few bits of info about the travel/parking on the day.
Now Arley train station does not have a huge car park, so a wonderfully generous local has given us a discounted rate on parking on his land, he's only charging £2 for the entire day! What a gent!

When using a sat nav to get to us, the postcode is DY12 3NF, and the car park is within spitting distance of the train station. Please don't actually spit on the train station though, it's not very nice and I'll probably yell at you. So, yeah, no to the spitting, but the analogy still holds true.

If you're not using one of those new fandangled what-cha-ma-call-its, and going with good old fashioned directions, you're a better person than me. When getting directions, get them for the train station itself, as there is a bridge in Arley and if you park on the wrong side of it, you get eaten by trolls. Ok, you don't ACTUALLY, but it sounds more dramatic than just saying, you'll have to get back round to the right side of Arley, which is a pain in the bum. See, not quite as exciting is it? The trolls argument is far better.

If you're getting public transport, the best way is to get to Kidderminster train station, and then walk to the Severn Valley station (which is next door so no need for hiking gear) and you can enjoy the utterly gorgeous Severn Valley Railway journey and pull into the station in style. It truly is a stunning journey, the trains themselves are beautiful, and the scenery's amazing. It's honestly on of the best things about the Midlands, and as a born and bred Brummie, you can take my word on it
Check out the website www.svr.co.uk for more information, prices and pictures of the journey. Seriously, it's gorgeous!
Get in touch via here, facebook or twitter if you need any more information about getting to us.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the day!

Updates, broken wrists and RAFFLE PRIZES!

Team SVCR have been beavering away in earnest over the past few weeks, and so many plans are being made and finalised for the race day. Honestly guys, its going to be amazing fun!

A great many wonderful donations have been made to us, its fantastic. And the prizes are pretty awesome.

It's a glorious feeling to know how many generous people there are out there in the world, and we're very lucky to know alot of them!

Very exciting news; the raffle tickets for the day are now available to buy - we're charging 50p per ticket or £2 for a strip of 5. And considering the prizes available, in layman's terms, that's naff all!

We have...... (insert dramatic drum roll here please)

- A spray tan session, based in Four Oaks in Birmingham

- A family ticket for Dudley Zoo - http://www.dudleyzoo.org.uk/

- £10 Waitrose voucher

- Day pass for Fitness First in Stirchley

- 2 tickets for Trentham Monkey Forest - http://www.trentham-monkey-forest.com/

- A selection of hair products from Boo Hair and Beauty - http://www.boohairandbeauty.info/

- A bespoke photo shoot from ML Imagery. - http://www.purestorm.com/mlimagery1
- 4 x £15 vouchers for The Plough in Harborne - http://www.theploughharborne.co.uk/
- A meal for 2 at The Junction in Harborne - http://www.thejunctionharborne.co.uk/

And that's not all we have!!! On the day we'll also have a silent auction, a balloon pop and a Chase the Race game which all have wonderful prizes attached.

And a cake stall with yummies provided by the delightful Charlie Dunn and Jo Coleman. It will be a fabulous day, and hopefully we'll raise lots to help Macmillan in the amazing and vitally important help they provide to so many families.

Now these cakes, very important that we discuss the cakes. I personally have tried cakes by both ladies before and the experience is verging on the religious. Jo's chocolate Guiness cake is actually as good as it sounds. Well a bit better actually, but I don't want to think about the chocolate Guiness cake too much in case I start trying to eat the keyboard in frustration that I don't have any chocolate Guiness cake.

And as for Charlie, well her cupcakes would give Nigella's a run for her money. They are divine!

On to slightly less delightful news - the man, the maverick, the gentleman that is Nathan Carvell, our race team captain, has suffered a setback. Whilst attempting to save a small child and her puppy from a burning building, at night, whilst being shot at........ok, Nathan fell of his bike at a race and broke his wrist. I was aiming for cinematic epicness, but its Monday and I've only had one coffee, so it's just not going to happen.

But yes, we have lost our cycle team captain, but no fear, the race will continue undettered and all the glorious fun will still be had by all.

There will be more updates coming soon, if you'd like to get any raffle tickets or need any more information, please either comment here, or visit the facebook page or twitter feed! See, we're ever so multi media.

quick thanks......

but BIG MASSIVE thanks to the following:

• Mark who has donated a wonderful prize of a BESPOKE PHOTOSHOOT. Check him out MIimagery
• Sophie Keegan who makes beautiful jewellery and clothing will donating one of her fantastic items as a raffle prize. She'll be at the Vintage Fair at Birmingham Pavillions this Saturday so go take a peepsy if you're around.
• Donna Scott of The Balloon Hub  has donated the biodegrabable ballons needed for the balloon release.
• Jo Coleman and Charlie Dunn who are donating fabulous (trust me I've tried them) cakes for you all to devour on the day.

Plus thank you to the other people who have offered raffle prizes. It's very much appreciated.


Thanks again all and again and keep em coming!

xxxxxx

Treats and Tweets

All good business meetings revolve around a good dinner. If you didn't know this then you need to get your boss to arrange your next team meeting over dinner and just see, it's far more successful when there is the prospect of good food and a glass of good wine. It's a fact. A lesser known fact; Dusty Springfield's song You Don't Have To Say You Love Me was written in cab on the way to a good dinner.

So with this in mind, I tempted my best friends into a Severn Valley Cycle Race 'Business Meeting' over an Aubergine Parmigiana, some wine and strawberries. How could they resist? And they did me proud I may add. Whilst the girls nattered marketing strategies, Nathan updated our blog look and got us tweeting. Now I just have to learn how to use it. Find us @svrcyclerace...

Among the various lists made there was the following and so - my begging call goes out again - if you can loan/lend/donate any of the items on the list or know someone who can please please get in touch. Some of the items may seem silly and small but every little thing adds up and we don't have a pot of money for supplies so any help, big or small, would be gratefully received!

The List - in pictures, I'm embracing handwriting again before I forget how to....

Happy Solstice all! xx

twitter test 2

twitter

Kindess, like a boomerang, always returns

You know, people never cease to amaze me. Mostly it's because I've seen or heard something so utterly stupid, such as a person faxing me a sample of card she wishes to use (really? yes really) or asking me to omit the lemon from the lemon sole because of a citrus allergy. However, today I say it completely respectfully and thankfully. I was canvassing for prize and event donations again yesterday. Having reached my limit in money I am prepared to give to royal mail in a week, I hit the High Street with my bag of begging letters and a wholesome smile. Now I'd like to think it was the latter that gave me the responses I had but if I'm truly honest, it's just that most people I have come across in this whole event have been truly wonderful. I came away with a voucher from a party shop with which we can buy balloons and helium for the release, a Waitrose voucher and the lovely owner of my local corner shop said "give me a list of things you need and I'll sort them." How nice. But it's not just the physical giving that's so lovely, it's the attitude and willingness to help with time or effort. Everyone I encountered on my begging trail wanted to help, even if they couldn't directly and were so encouraging. And that's not all, Stourbridge Fire Service have offered helped, a vehicle and their time. Friends and family are giving up so much time and effort to help as well and I'm certain it's not just for me, it's because people genuinely like to help. Maybe I'm naive or maybe I'm just lucky to have so many wonderful people around me. Whichever way it is, I really am thankful to every single person that has given me advice, an opinion, their time or energy.


Now, enough with the gushing, let's get practical again. The posters and invites are done! Working his mouse finger very hard yesterday, Nathan 'executive designer extradonaire' Carvell has done a fabulously fantastical job, as can be seen below.

If you would like any to help with advertising please let me know and when they're printed I shall send you some. Otherwise, feel free to advertise through facebook, twitter, etc.

S'all for now folks, tired myself out with all that sentimental spouting! Back soon for some more progress hopefully!!


xx

T minus 10 weeks!

Wow it's been a long time. I apologise, but it's certainly not a reflection of the work we've been doing!
So what's been going on? Well here's a little update:

• Have been in touch with Stourbridge Fire Station who very kindly, but not surprisingly, are fully on board and are getting together some more cyclists and mostly definitly some attendees for the day.
• Donations are still rolling in, the latest being from a fantastic company called Graze who have offered some of their products to keep our cyclists pumped and energised!
• Resident graphic designer Nathan Carvell of nthncreative is on the case with invitations and posters. They will be featured on here shortly but should you like any to help us advertise please let me know and I will post some out to you.
• Cyclist packs are on the way to any of you wonderful riders so please send them back as soon as you can.

So all in all, we're going well, but we can only continue to go well with your help. We're less than 10 weeks away so get on your promoting horses and gee up all you know to help us make the day fantastic.
Remember also - the JustGiving page is live so please feel free to promote it along with the event. At the end of the day we're aiming to raise some fantastic money for Macmillan to help them with the fantastic work they do and help people like Martin.

So that was just a quickie but we'll be back SHORTLY with more update and info. 

xx

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

No, not to myself. Although, I did have a fantastic birthday yesterday, No today, as google kindly told me on my way here this morning, is the 240th birthday of Richard Trevithick who built the first steam train. It seemed quite appropraite to reference the fact here - Happy Birthday Richard, so it's your fault we're all here.....

Sunday - on the hottest day of the year so far - we decided to test the route, and, well
.........I'm still here, but let's just say some significant changes were needed after I pretty much ended up wheeling my bike up and down several of the roads! But hey, that's what the practice was for. It does mean that finally route is finalised and I'm feeling pretty happy about it. The first half is especially fun; following the Severn Way path and the Severn Valley Railway all the way along the river to Bewdley and has absolutely gorgeous views.  All you cyclists, I'm going to find a way of mapping it and posting a link up here but I'll be emailing/posting it out to you with some other info too.
Also met Lesley and Matthew on Sunday and it was lovely to see them. The 4566 turned up, which was also lovely! We met Ian Latimer, Arley station manager, who was nothing but helpful and I look forward to getting the party all prepped soon.

Speaking of parties, I've been busy begging for prize donations for the Arley party by sending out lots of request letters (when did stamps get so expensive?!), so if you have any ideas of people I may not have thought of to bother then let me know. One very quick response from Go Ape! in Bewdley who have donated a free adult ticket to the park so a big thank you goes out to them. If you've never heard of Go Ape!, there's a link on the left hand side under Corporate Sponsorships, check it out because it's great fun!

Also, I've now got Nathan's full attention and designing skills so posters, sponsorship forms etc should be ready soon. This means we can all (yes, ALL implies anyone reading this too!) get on the promotion trail, poor Worcestershire's not going to know what's hit it....

Oh yes! And how can I forget, those eagle eyed ones amongst you all may have noticed there are 3 new names on the cylists' list on the right hand side, the ever so lovely Ian and Sue Carvell and  fantastic Mr David (Deej) Jaquin. These aren't just any cyclists, Ian and Deej are seasoned cylists and will no doubt make the train look like it's going as slowly as Gordon Brown leaving office (no pressure guys).


That's all for now folks, keep smiling :)


x

Full steam ahead

Okay, so I promise to stop with the puns in the blog titles, but indulge me a little, I'm excited!

I'm excited because just a couple of days in I've had so many kind offers of support already. Firstly, the event is now registered with Worcestershire Macmillan and I've requested merchandise for the event - got a little more excited by the bunting than I should've done but again, indulge me! Thank you to Kelly, Fundraising Manager at Worcestershire Macmillan who has been so prompt and helpful in her emails and answered some nagging questions for me.

Just as important though is the support I've had from family and friends. The date is firmly fixed in the Wilkins' calendar, that is however after I convinced them that the date wasn't for an engagement party - wishful thinking on their parts I believe! Helen and Darren Peters (Martin's sister and brother in law) were named riders numbers 2 & 3 after Nathan Carvell who is dutifully (being my loving partner) taking on the role of cycle team captain. Graphic designer by trade and bike enthusiast by weekend, I'll be utilising both those skills at some point! Cyclist number 4 comes in the shape of Paul Bryant who has rescued his bike from the depths of somewhere to get himself fit enough to cycle the 16 miles needed. Keep your eyes peeled to the right of the blog for the list of cyclists. Those who are cycling, I've popped a couple of useful links underneath for your reading pleasure.

The event team has been bolstered by the support of wonderful friends Lucy Chatterley (who insists on having the title Executive Event Assistant), Jessica Ivory and Lucy-Jayne Davies (Vigilant Veggie) - who I predict will  be on bake sale duty!

BIG BIG thanks already go out to Ben Froggat of Venture Bikes in Stirchley Birmingham who has kindly agreed to be 'Ben our Bike Man' and check over all the cyclists bikes before they set off so they don't get themselves into any trouble. If you're in need of any bike parts or accessories prior to the event I can recommend him, there's a link of the left hand side to his shop.

Also in the calendar is to meet Lesley, Martin's wife (I feel at 24, calling people Aunt and Uncle is a little weird - anyone agree?), at Arley station on Sunday. We plan hopefully to meet Ian the Arley station manager who has also kindly given his full support to the event. Afterwards, myself and Nathan, will be testing the route planned for the race. So if I don't update for a while it's because I'm recovering! As soon as we've got this sorted I'll update all you wonderful cyclists and post the route on here.

I've also hit the social media trail, obviously setting up the blog and the various links to the right but also a Facebook event page and Just Giving page. Both are out there to use if you wish but I'll officially make them 'live' shortly when we have more details. I'm very open to suggestions/improvements on this side of things so feel free to let me know!

Also to do, with Lesley's help,  is contact the several Fire Brigades that Martin worked for. I'm sure once this happens my cyclist list and the event as a whole along with the current support will snowball into the event I desperately hope it to be.

Thanks for reading guys - I'll continue to keep you updated and please get in touch with anything you want to suggest or say!

Kerrie xxx

On your marks, set.....race!

Well, today was an exciting day indeed! I got the green light from the lovely people at the Severn Valley Railway Marketing Office, particular thanks go out to David for his help. 

Which means, the race is on! So - if you own a bike, you're fairly competent on it and you can raise some good money, I will probably be calling on your help. Alternatively, if you feel your skills are elsewhere then I'll probably be asking you for some help too at some point!

So what's the deal then? On Sunday 21st August a group of fantastically brilliant people will cycle from Arley Severn Valley Railway Station to Kidderminster and then back to Arley. One catch; they'll have to do it before the steam train does - or at least that's the aim. When they make it back to Arley safe and sound we'll have a grand old party to celebrate. 

Why? Well, why not? But mostly it's to raise some money for the very worthy Macmillan Cancer Support. Their teams bring so much help and support to those who are affected by cancer, people like my Uncle, Martin Wilkins, who worked at Severn Valley for more years than most would care to remember! The day is also to remember him and all the beautiful work he did at Arley station. Above all else, we're going to have lots of fun doing it!


Kerrie xx