Category Archives: Charity

18
Mar
2010

Kate Silverton and Phil Packer climb the Three Peaks for Sport Relief

6 comments
Posted in Best Bits, Charity, Expeditions
“Terror on the slopes of death” read one paper’s headline. The climb was nowhere near as bad as described by the Daily Mail, but then again few things are. Typical March weather swept over Ben Nevis and conditions deteriorated. We were just 100 metres below the summit but had already been climbing for ten hours. [...]

Read more
05
Mar
2010

Hope and Homes for Children

0 comments
Posted in Charity, Pecha Kucha
I recently arranged a fundraising event for Hope and Homes for Children. The idea was simple: each speaker would have 20 slides, which scroll after just 20 seconds. This gives the speaker a mere 6 minutes and 40 seconds to speak. It is a fast, furious, fiendishly difficult speaking format that results in a fun, [...]

Read more
03
Mar
2010

Phil Packer and Kate Silverton climb Three Peaks

2 comments
Posted in Charity
Phil Packer, who suffered severe spinal injuries in 2008, has joined forces with BBC’s Kate Silverton to embark on an inspirational challenge for Sport Relief. On March 5th, the daring duo will take the first step on an extraordinary journey to the summits of the three highest peaks in the UK – Ben Nevis, Scafell [...]

Read more
01
Mar
2010

Take the long and winding road

1 comment
Posted in Charity, Cycling, Guest Blog
This month’s guest blog comes from Dan Harrison. Dan was a normal bloke with a normal job and normal life. Then he decided to cycle to Africa… “About this time two years ago I glanced out of the window on the train to work and the idea hit me; cycle to South Africa. Now I’m [...]

Read more
03
Feb
2010

A Night of Adventure Pecha Kucha

1 comment
Posted in Charity, Pecha Kucha
Thank you so much to all the speakers who kindly gave up their time to make last night’s Night of Adventure Pecha Kucha event such a success. Thousands of pounds were raised for Hope and Homes for Children. I am sorry that so many people were turned away at the door: we could have sold [...]

Read more
03
Dec
2009

A Night of Adventure

15 comments
Posted in Charity, Expeditions, Speaking
Following my visit to the work of Hope and Homes for Children in Sierra Leone I decided to arrange a fund-raising event. The “Night of Adventure” was a great success and there are calls for a repeat sometime soon. I hope you will come along. If you would like to be informed when the next [...]

Read more
12
Nov
2009

Expedition Film Premiere

1 comment
Posted in Charity, Expeditions
A friend of mine, Olly Hicks, is showing the premiere of his film, Tenacity on the Tasman in London on November 19th. It will definitely be worth going along to see. Olly had a torrid time out on the ocean but his endless good humour in the face of adversity and his daily chats with [...]

Read more
08
Oct
2009

Phil Packer – Pride of Britain

0 comments
Posted in Charity
My mate Phil won the Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year award last night. I am so proud and chuffed to know him! Fantastic! Watch this little clip from the awards, then please click here. DON’T MISS A THING – FREE MONTHLY UPDATE BY EMAIL: Have you read Alastair’s books? Also available for Kindle, [...]

Read more
20
Sep
2009

Peace One Day

0 comments
Posted in Charity, Motivation, Our World
Every so often you see a film or read a book that fires you towards action. The film Peace One Day blew me away. Truly motivational. The film charts the remarkable 10-year journey of filmmaker Jeremy Gilley to establish an annual Peace Day on 21 September. The camera follows Gilley as he galvanises the countries [...]

Read more
28
May
2009

Phil reaches his Million

0 comments
Posted in Charity
Fantastic news: Phil’s made it to a million quid! Here’s a video about his new project: DON’T MISS A THING – FREE MONTHLY UPDATE BY EMAIL: Have you read Alastair’s books? Also available for Kindle, iPad and children.
12
May
2009

Phil Packer walking the London Marathon

2 comments
Posted in Charity, Marathons, Motivation
Danfung, the photographer who accompanied Phil and I on our Channel row has now made this little video about Phil’s heroic last place (!) in the London Marathon. He is creeping ever closer to his amazing £1million target. You can read Phil’s latest news here. Phil’s now training with Andy Kirkpatrick for his next challenge… [...]

Read more
26
Feb
2009

Racing Round the World with Sustrans

2 comments
Posted in Charity, Cycling
140 Sustrans Bike It schools are competing to virtually cycle around the world following my route! The winning school will win £1000 for their Bike It activities and there are also lots of regional prizes to be won. Bike It is an exciting and successful Sustrans project; more than 40 Bike It Officers round the [...]

Read more
15
Feb
2009

Rowing to France

1 comment
Posted in Channel Rowing, Charity
Despite seasickness, boat troubles and unkind tides, we made it to France! At midnight on Friday Phil and I pulled out of Dover harbour to try to row across the English Channel in support of Help for Heroes. 15 hours, and many vomits later we made it! You can read my account here. Any donations [...]

Read more
10
Feb
2009

The end of the Training

3 comments
Posted in Best Bits, Channel Rowing, Charity
As with most things worth doing there have been times this week when I have wondered whether it was worth doing. Phil and I had hoped to be fine-tuning our rowing technique together, in preparation for rowing to France. But we lost one day to a broken down vehicle, and another to an iced-up slipway. [...]

Read more
03
Feb
2009

Helping a hero

0 comments
Posted in Charity, Expeditions
A few months ago, purely by chance, I came across a website that really impressed me. Major Phil Packer was serving with the British Army in Iraq when he was injured, paralyzed below the waist, and told he would never walk again. As well as being determined to prove the doctors wrong and to walk [...]

Read more
15
Dec
2008

Walking a lap of Britain to say “sorry”

2 comments
Posted in Charity, Our World
One night, when he was just 15 years old, Sebastian Green and a friend took a boat from Weymouth Marina and went for a spin. They ran aground and when no-one responded to their shouts for help, Seb leapt over the side to seek assistance – and promptly sank up to his waist in mud. [...]

Read more
15
Oct
2008

Poverty

0 comments
Posted in Charity, Our World
Today’s Blog Action Day is devoted to the issue of poverty. The day encourages bloggers to do whatever they see fit to remind people about global poverty. One billion people still have to exist on just a dollar a day. Over one million children across Europe still live in state institutions. The charity I have [...]

Read more
17
Apr
2002

The work of Hope and Homes for Children in Sudan

0 comments
Posted in Charity, Expeditions, RoundTheWorldByBike, Travel
“The world is a beautiful place to be born into if you don’t mind some people dying all the time or maybe only starving some of the time which isn’t half so bad if it isn’t you.” - Lawrence Ferlinghetti Giggling and shielding faces behind freshly scrubbed hands six small boys stand in a group [...]

Read more