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FUN DRAISE ! ON YOUR MARKS, get set... WILL YOU BE A VOICE FOR VIVA? MARATHON MAN Earlier this year, 34-year-old Lloyd Belcher ran 100 kilometres (on a route which took him up Hong Kong’s highest peak) in less than 15 hours! And why did he put himself through that? “As a keen runner, I have dreamed about a 100km ultra marathon for quite a while. But I wanted to use this opportunity to go beyond something that was simply a personal experience and also make sure I had an impact on the lives of others. So every penny of the £2,161.04 raised by my run has gone through Viva to help children at risk.” You can read more about Lloyd’s motivation, and his mammoth blisters, at blog.viva.org Wherever you share your passion for changing children’s lives - at church, home group, dinner with friends, the school gates - we’d love to help you do it with even more confidence. Viva Voices Saturday 14 July 10.30am-2.30pm Join us in Oxford for a fun-filled few hours guaranteed to increase your knowledge and ability to share Viva in different settings. Then enjoy conversation with like-minded Viva supporters as we finish off the day with punting! Top tips for public speaking Easy-to-use resources Inspiring children’s stories See viva.org/voice for more details or to register. As you read this, 4 friends are cycling through 3 African countries on 2 wheels with 1 goal: to make sure that more of Africa’s children are respected, protected and loved. So far they’ve raised £2,986 and the push for more pounds continues even as they pedal. Check out facebook.com/ride to learn more about what is motivating this team to get on their bikes for Viva. Rob Lilwall and Leon McCarron, who began their epic 5,000km walk across China more than six months ago, have finally reached home. They’ve experienced gushing waterfalls and frozen rivers, grown incredibly ‘long and mighty beards’, consumed far too many instant noodles and filmed most of their adventures in sub-zero temperatures with fingers almost too numb to hold the camera. But they’ve also raised more than £40,000 for Viva’s work with children in Asia! See photos and blogs about their ‘challenging and enriching journey’ at viva.org/whfm Rob & Leon interviewed in Hong Kong shortly after arriving home Elise, Sam and Adam (minus Mike) test their stamina with a training ride in Oxfordshire Eight hours in and Lloyd is still smiling! YOUR FACE HERE 15 14 Get physical From the Great North Run in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to the British 10K in London, there are opportunities up and down the UK to pull a hamstring or two for a child at risk. Grab some friends and enter a team in one of the challenges, strike out alone to fulfil a personal sporting goal, or organise a community walk, cycle, run or swim where everyone can get involved. Use your imagination Not so keen on the great outdoors? You could give your creativity a workout, dreaming up fresh ways to raise money for children at risk without breaking a sweat. Hold a clothes swap with an entrance fee, turn your church hall into a food market, rent out your garden for neighbourhood kids to come camping, or have a marathon of the best episodes of 'Friends' and get your real-life friends to give money every time you hear canned laughter. Give up You could go without birthday presents this year, eat only rice and beans for a week, shave your head, or see how long you can last without chocolate. Knowing that children’s lives will be changed by your efforts could be just the motivation you need to start that diet you’ve been planning for the last three years! Whether you bake, swim, diet, dance, or prefer to sit in your armchair knitting a record-breakingly long scarf, visit viva.org/fun to start putting the ‘fun’ back into fundraising.
