My Story

November 2018 update

Well its only 2 and a half months until we head off to Guatemala and i'm starting to get a bit nervous.  How will I cope with seeing families with so little? Will I have raised enough money? Can I cope with the manual labour and the heat?  What if I get sick (I am thee worst patient ever).

On the 16th December I've organised a whisky tasting afternoon - well I am Scottish!  Full details of this and how to obtain tickets is on the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/198404184415715/?ti=icl

September 2018 update

So due to my back injury I wasnt able to complete the cycle from Glasgow to Edinburgh.  My back is better and my physio is complete but as I only just finished physio the week before the event and with my holiday being so close I couldnt risk the 4 and a half hours of cycling up hills in one go.  There will be further details of whats planned.

G xx

July 2018 update

So, I thought I should update you on how its all going.  My first challenge seems a distant memory, I was proud that I ran (most of the way round) the course, the sun was shining and it was a great day in Edinburgh, a perfect 18 degrees. 

I'm now 2 days away from Tough Mudder London North and the current forecast is 30 degrees and sunny.  Bearing in mind I'm Scottish and the only time I usually see this kind of weather is my 2 week holiday abroad each year, where the most exercise I get is walking to the bar and back.  I'm excited and nervous, not in the way I was before, about each individual challenge and the mental grit I'll need to face each one, some harder than others!  Now there are thoughts of how to avoid sunstroke, sunburn, fainting, heat exhaustion as well as the 10k run.

In case i hadn't considered these fresh challenges, we all received a very concerning email from the organisers telling us how harsh its likely to be now due to the weather (because it sounded easy peasy before - not) and that if we want to pull out and reschedule for the London South one we can.  Its filling me with lots of confidence.

I have no doubt that this will be one of, if not thee most challenging thing I've ever done.

I'm no quitter, my train fare is paid, holidays have been booked so it will go ahead.  I'll be a stronger, sorer and more freckly person come Sunday.  I cant wait to share it all with you, pictures and all - on my twitter account @JustGael

If you happen to be around my wave time is 11:15am tweet me if you're there.

As always thanks for the support!

Big love - G x

April 2018 - Update on my fundraising calendar.

I've signed up to 3 different challenges to gain sponsorship.  The first one is in Edinburgh and my 13 year old daughter Alex is attempting to do it with me as she wants to help raise money for the charity.  I couldn't be more proud of her especially as she's not the most physically minded child.  Here are the dates of when I'm planning to punish myself - feel free to come along if you'd like to see me cry!

12/05/2018 - Gung-Ho Edinburgh: a 5K inflatable assault course, which in itself will be a challenge, however judging by recent weather and my luck it will be raining and wet and near impossible.

07/07/2018 - Tough Mudder London North: You will all no doubt recognise this one, I am the most scared of this challenge. I think i may have been under the influence when i agreed to do it but i'm no quitter and will give it a go - I'm a firm believer that if I'm asking for people's hard earned cash that it needs to be something that is difficult (or in this case dangerous. Think electrocution and having to hold my breath way longer than i'd like). 

09/09/2018 - Pedal for Scotland: I've done this one before.  I didn't get back on my bike for a long time and thought i'd never walk the same again.  I know the pain that comes with 50 miles from west to east Scotland up and down (mainly up) lots of hills.

I've got some social events planned in the next few months but they'll be fun for everyone and hopefully not painful for me.

Gael xx

Hi,

Thanks for visiting my page. 

For those who know me you'll know that i love a bit of charity work and I've been really lucky to have been selected to join Aon's team working alongside Habitat for Humanity. 

I'm raising funds to enable us to go to Guatemala to help families in poverty have a safe place to live by building them homes and providing them with smoke free stoves. 

I've signed myself up to a number of crazy challenges which will physically and emotionally push me to the limits (well I wouldn't ask for money for something easy!) I'll be posting on here regularly about what i'm doing, how i'm feeling and a bit more about the charity and the amazing things they do - in the UK and abroad.

I'm feeling a bit of pressure being the only one in the team from Scotland, I want to make sure that I manage to raise as much as my colleagues south of the border - I'm just a little competitive.

If you could spare some of your hard earned cash I'd be eternally grateful, as will the families you've helped whilst supporting me.

Thanks

Gael x