I must be mad. I swore I wouldn't get involved. I promised myself I would stay out of it, watch from the sidelines, avoid it like the plague. I tried to ignore the emails and the social media mentions. I told people I had done it once but never again.
But I should have know -once you look into the eyes of any member of Team Honk you are doomed. They look like perfectly nice women on the surface, oh yes, but if you look closer you will see a maniac bursting to get out. Their honeyed words lure you in with phrases like:"it'll be fun." And it turns out I am powerless to resist their charms.
Which is how I find myself despite all my intentions to the opposite, signed up for the Team Honk posse taking part in the Comic Relief Danceathon at Wembley Stadium on Sunday March 8 with the prospect of 6 hours of sponsored dancing ahead of me.
I say dancing. Those of you who know me will know that thanks to the joy of Fibromyalgia I will find it difficult, nay impossible, to stand up for 6 hours, never mind dance.
But that's the point of this event isn't it? To give yourself a challenge? To support and pay tribute to people globally who would love to have the opportunity to "waste" a day pratting about in leg warmers. Where the main concern of the day for me will be where to park, what to wear and how long the queue for the toilets will be. First world problems indeed.
It's not all about wide-eyed starving African kids of course - although Comic Relief has enabled some amazing projects in third world countries which help those kids, and orphans, and communities. But they are also helping people in this country. Helping those with Dementia by funding care centres offering activities and exercise supporting people with dementia and their carers. And helping those with mental illnesses with projects to learn new skills, meet new people and get tailored support. And so much more.
So - back to the Danceathon. The plan is that every half an hour assorted bloggers, celebrities and normal people will try a different form of dance. Jazz, disco, Bollywood, Hip-hop, 70's, 80's, 90's and beyond. People will dress up. Annie Spratt will almost certainly have knickers on her head at some point - I will be disappointed if she doesn't. I will dance and sit, dance and sit. And write off the following week. It's all in a good cause.
And the great news is you can join in too! It costs just £10 to register then you are urged to raise at least £150 in sponsorship. Of course Team Honk wants you to raise more. It's a matter of pride.
In 2013 Team Honk raised almost £10,000 with a variety of fund-raising events. Last year bloggers raised almost £32,000 transporting a baton from Land's End to John O'Groats. This year blogger power willing, Team Honk hopes to raise £100,000. Yes. £100,000.
I have been very lucky - such is their faith in this middle-aged slightly tubby blogger that Betfair have already sponsored me to the tune of £150! Such a great starting place financially but I want to raise more - much more so (here it comes folks) it would be great if you could follow Betfair's amazing lead and donate via my Red Nose Day Giving page.
It doesn't have to be a big donation and I will be pathetically grateful. I will keep you updated via the blog and social media of the progress of my fundraising and of course of my preparations for the event. So far my preparations have consisted of walking to school instead of driving (once) and thinking about what to wear. I have one sparkly purple leg warmer and just need to find the other one.....
But I should have know -once you look into the eyes of any member of Team Honk you are doomed. They look like perfectly nice women on the surface, oh yes, but if you look closer you will see a maniac bursting to get out. Their honeyed words lure you in with phrases like:"it'll be fun." And it turns out I am powerless to resist their charms.
Which is how I find myself despite all my intentions to the opposite, signed up for the Team Honk posse taking part in the Comic Relief Danceathon at Wembley Stadium on Sunday March 8 with the prospect of 6 hours of sponsored dancing ahead of me.
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| Taking part in Team Honk's Land's End to John O Groats relay in 2014. Note pants on head. |
But that's the point of this event isn't it? To give yourself a challenge? To support and pay tribute to people globally who would love to have the opportunity to "waste" a day pratting about in leg warmers. Where the main concern of the day for me will be where to park, what to wear and how long the queue for the toilets will be. First world problems indeed.
It's not all about wide-eyed starving African kids of course - although Comic Relief has enabled some amazing projects in third world countries which help those kids, and orphans, and communities. But they are also helping people in this country. Helping those with Dementia by funding care centres offering activities and exercise supporting people with dementia and their carers. And helping those with mental illnesses with projects to learn new skills, meet new people and get tailored support. And so much more.
So - back to the Danceathon. The plan is that every half an hour assorted bloggers, celebrities and normal people will try a different form of dance. Jazz, disco, Bollywood, Hip-hop, 70's, 80's, 90's and beyond. People will dress up. Annie Spratt will almost certainly have knickers on her head at some point - I will be disappointed if she doesn't. I will dance and sit, dance and sit. And write off the following week. It's all in a good cause.
 |
| Dancing Queen. |
In 2013 Team Honk raised almost £10,000 with a variety of fund-raising events. Last year bloggers raised almost £32,000 transporting a baton from Land's End to John O'Groats. This year blogger power willing, Team Honk hopes to raise £100,000. Yes. £100,000.
I have been very lucky - such is their faith in this middle-aged slightly tubby blogger that Betfair have already sponsored me to the tune of £150! Such a great starting place financially but I want to raise more - much more so (here it comes folks) it would be great if you could follow Betfair's amazing lead and donate via my Red Nose Day Giving page.
It doesn't have to be a big donation and I will be pathetically grateful. I will keep you updated via the blog and social media of the progress of my fundraising and of course of my preparations for the event. So far my preparations have consisted of walking to school instead of driving (once) and thinking about what to wear. I have one sparkly purple leg warmer and just need to find the other one.....
Disclaimer: I have been sponsored by Betfair to take part in the Comic Relief #danceathon as part of Team Honk. Please remember to gamble responsibly. To help with this Betfair have an amazing Responsible Gambling page with a budget calculator, advice on spotting signs of gambling addiction in yourself and loved ones, support for parents and demo videos on how to set gambling limits.
Oh - I forgot to say:
HONK!