Update

The last few months have been a busy whirlwind of fundraising and training. Last month I completed a C2C (coast to coast) cycle ride from Whitehaven to Tynemouth - 137 (very hilly) miles in all! It was a tough challenge but a good step towards the eventual Kenyan adventure. It was lovely to be joined by Dad (Alan Dix), Janet Finlay and Rachel Cowgill, along with our fab support team (Esther and Fiona Dix) who were always at the ready with warm cups of tea and changes of clothes. :)

The fundraising is going well but it's never to late to donate - please visit www.justgiving.com/mimcycleskenya for details of how. If you're after some quality entertainment in return for your donation, why not come along to Christ Church, Selly Park at 7.30pm on Friday 18th November for Hear My Song - an evening of music, song and drama. Tickets cost £8 (£5 concessions) and are available in advance from miriam@miriamdix.com or on the door.

Concert!

First things first - a massive thank you to everyone involved in last weeks fundraising concert on Tiree, in particular to Gordon, Katie, John, Ishbel, Kenny and Gemma for their wonderful performance contributions, Gordon (again!) for the PA, Oliver for his support throughout and operating the backing tracks, the team of helpers who organised food, tickets, setting up/down, advertising, etc., everyone who donated raffle prizes, to the support of a lovely audience (it was a pleasure to perform for you all) and, especially, a huge thank you to Mum and Dad for their unfailing support and particularly to Mum for pulling the whole thing together - I couldn't have done it with you.

Now, drum rolls please, the total raised was a fantastic £709.93

A real boost to my fundraising total and I know this will go a long way towards the work of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, Breast Cancer Care and Ovarian Cancer Action. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed.

I’ve been taking advantage of the recent spell of good weather to get out for some good rides along the canal – a good off-road surface but slightly lacking in hills. I may need to get a little way out of Birmingham to remedy that as it’s not known for being the hilliest place in the world…

Plans for the warm-up Coast to Coast cycle (Whitehaven to Tynemouth) are in place for the 6^th-9^th October – 137 miles in 4 days across the Pennines… not much then! I am delighted to be joined by Janet Finlay, Rachel Cowgill and Alan Dix, with support from Fiona Dix and Esther Dix.

I’m very excited about my forthcoming fundraising concert on the beautiful island of Tiree. The date is set for 30^th May and a number of special guests will be announced over the coming weeks – watch this space! All proceeds will go directly to the work of the three cancer charities so, if you are in the area, do come along for what promises to be a wonderful evening of music-making.

In other fundraising news, I have a matched giving pledge which will cover all the costs of the Kenyan trip itself, so you can be sure that every penny you give will go directly to the charities. Visit my fundraising page and give generously to support the fantastic work of Breast Cancer Care, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action.