A few weeks ago, a group in London set out to do a fundraising walk for SA-YES. Here is their fantastic story.

Yesterday reminded me just what this fandom is about. Yes it’s about admiring Gillian and her work, but it’s also about meeting fabulous like-minded people who share an enthusiasm. Yesterday we did that whilst helping to raise an amazing amount of money for a fabulous cause, SA-YES. For those of you who aren’t aware, SA-YES, (South African Youth Education for Sustainability), is a charity which provides support for young people making the move from care into independent living.

The idea of a charity walk in and around London came from Clare, a fellow GA fan, who emailed a few of us over Christmas and asked what we thought of the idea. Initially we thought it would be just a small group of us and so the original target was £500. In total 17 of us took part in the week and we’ve raised £2,434…so far! Of course, when the date of the walk was confirmed as 23rd March, we thought we’d be dealing with spring weather and possibly the odd shower. Instead we were faced with snow, sleet and chilly weather – not that it put us off!

Our walk began just after 10.30 with a group photo outside of the Royal Court in Sloane Square, where Gillian performed the Sweetest Swing in Baseball in 2004. Norma, a lovely lady from Wirral, who’d come all the way to London just to officially start the walk off, waved the red flag and we were off!! Our first stop was Notting Hill and Portobello Road to visit the flat where Gillian used to live (and make a brief stop off at Electric Cinema in Notting Hill where she attended the premiere of Solaris, starring George Clooney). After pausing for some photographs and accidentally buzzing through to the flat we made a quick getaway to Marylebone and the home of William Vintage’s shop. Thankfully it was closed; else I’m pretty sure the majority of us girls would have been forever lost amongst beautiful dresses.

Once we’d managed to drag ourselves away, we headed down towards Leicester Square, trying to avoid a busy Oxford Street as much as possible, for a rest stop, pausing for photographs outside of the Empire Cinema, host of both the X Files I Want to Believe and Johnny English Reborn premieres. By this point, we were just over halfway and as we set out again, the sleet and snow definitely meant it! At this point we were joined by Sheila, who had recently fractured her foot but still volunteered to walk a few miles with us (and became our official photographer!)

Our next stop was the Comedy Theatre (now the Harold Pinter Theatre), which was where Gillian performed in What the Night is For in 2002, before we continued to Covent Garden and the Donmar Warehouse, home to A Doll’s House back in 2009.

The Dickens Museum was next, where Gillian gave a reading of Great Expectations to Prince Charles and Camilla last year as part of the bicentenary celebrations for Charles Dickens. It was also our penultimate stop – from there it was on to Crouch End – the end was in sight, albeit just over four miles away! It was more or less a straight road to Crouch End, though as we neared the finish, things got a little tougher, the pace a little slower, the blisters a little bigger and the pavements a little slushier. Thankfully there were no accidents and finally, just before 7pm, we saw it – the hill leading into Crouch End! It wasn’t easy but finally we made it to what was Gillian’s primary school. Again we stopped for photographs before making our descent down the other side of the hill, all doing well to stay on our feet and not slide down (after 14 miles it was quite tempting though). Waiting at the bottom of the hill was possibly the best sight of the entire day – Budgens Convenience Store. I’m sure the shop has never received such a positive reaction, and that the staff and customers wondered exactly why we were so excited to be there, but it marked the end of our 14 mile (well, 14.34 miles to be exact) journey. We stopped to admire Gillian’s favourite bakery in Crouch End (sadly it was closed by the time we arrived, so we didn’t have a chance to try for ourselves), and then we posed for one final group picture complete with a cheque detailing donations up until that point – £2,400!

And then we turned around and walked all the way back…Kidding, we had a well-deserved rest on the bus before going our separate ways.

I’m sure I speak on behalf of my fellow walkers when I say that today I ache in places I never knew existed but we had the best day, met some great people whilst helping to raise much needed money for SA-YES and WE DID IT!!! Of course, we couldn’t have done it without our supporters, and the increasing total gave us more than enough motivation during the day. £2,436.76 (so far!) is a fabulous amount of money raised, so THANK YOU to everyone who donated and helped spread the word! A big thank you also has to go to Clare and Cathy for organising and Julie and the team at SA-YES and GAWS in helping spread the word. And Gillian too, even though by the end we were all wishing she’d been brought up in the West End rather than Crouch End!

Clare, Cathy, Lou, Cheryl, Emma, Peet, Celly, Polly, Rosie, Petra, Monika, Effie, Sheila, it was lovely to meet you and a pleasure to walk with you all. Such a fun day and an amazing amount of money raised for a great cause and I look forward to the next meet-up. Thanks to Norma too for her support and travelling all the way to London on a pretty chilly day.

Let’s just choose a warmer day for the next half-marathon )

If you haven’t yet donated to the GA London Walk, there’s still time to do so, and any amount is appreciated – please visit JustGiving and donate anything you can. THANK YOU.

Kirsty

Nimble Group Call Centre in Woodstock are looking for new recruits for their Learnership Programme. See details from Nimble below….
We are looking for learners on our third wave of the Monyetla Work Readiness programme. This intake is on 01 October 2012. They will spend four weeks in classroom training with our partner OMNI and then if they pass all the assessments will join us for 8 days of training in our environment. They write two assessments in our environment which they must pass to be able to join a team and start working on the floor. The learnership programme extends for a period of 4 months during which they are coached and guided and required to complete assessments and assignments. At the end of this period we are required to place 70% of those who successfully compete the programme. They receive a certificate detailing what they have learned and acquired in terms of contact centre credits. They are paid a stipend of R75 a day for every day worked during the full period of the learnership. This is intended as a means to cover travel costs whilst they are afforded to opportunity to gain some training and skill and make them “work ready”. When on the floor actively working they will still receive the stipend payment whilst on the learnership but will qualify for commission earnings where this becomes due. To qualify as a learner candidates must be; ·
South African
Under the age of 35
Currently unemployed
Matric
Criminal and credit clear
Those who are interested may apply – they can forward their CV’s to recruitment@nimblecs.co.za with the subject heading Learnership Application.

My name is Patrick. I am a grade 12 learner at Rhodes high school and currently living at Marsh Memorial Homes. For a while I have been considering journalism as a future career option. To this end I was very fortunate in being given the opportunity to spend time at the Daily Voice newspaper. SA-YES organised a job shadowing opportunity for me which I embarked on with great enthusiasm and excitement. During the week I spent there, I learnt many skills which will hopefully stand me in good stead as a budding journalist. From the daily editorial meetings to going into the field with a journalist and experiencing first-hand what it is that a journalist does. Following a story, interviewing people and coming back to write up and put the story to bed. This has been an awesome experience and has opened my eyes to the reality of journalism. The most important thing that I took away with me was the realisation that behind every story hides a human drama, whether painful, joyful or merely colourful. I wish to thank everyone that played a part in making this possible for me and hopefully I will find my voice as a journalist.

In June I hiked more than 500 km on the Camino de Santiago. Everyone I met on this way had a special reason doing this. I was especially curious about the spiritual aspect of walking over 500 km on this very special path.

I met people from all over the world from over 20 different countries. The nationality, the age or profession didn’t matter. We were all the same. We all had our problems, injuries, good and bad days. But we all kept walking, sometimes alone, sometimes chatting to others or just walking side by side enjoying the silence. And nobody walked without caring for the other one. Nobody was left alone sitting by the wayside. We shared our food, water and compeed  Everyone who came by offered help. Why doesn’t this happen in the “real world”?

The problems on this Camino are very essential: Can I walk 5 or 10 km more to the next village or do I stay here? Where do I get something to eat or to drink? Where do I sleep tonight? It wasn’t always easy to do this – no walk in the park. This Camino showed me my physical limits. But whenever I had blisters, blue toe nails or swollen and sore legs, this way provided me with everything I needed to keep moving just at the right time. That was a very special experience.

What did I learn on this journey, what did this Camino with me? Of course it didn’t heal my cancer or one of my disabilities; I didn’t expect that to happen. But now I know that it pays off to fight and to keep on walking – on this Camino as in my life – despite of all injuries or illnesses. If I give up and stop, people pass me by and I miss so much. If I keep on moving, I can make these amazing experiences, meet these wonderful people and see such beautiful landscapes. That is an experience I will never forget in my whole life and that will help me to keep on fighting and enjoying every single day.

Raising money for SA-YES with walking this Camino was a perfect match, because it is about people helping each other no matter where they come from and it is about not leaving people alone when they are in need of help and support. That is what SA-YES stands for. Thank you to every donor. Every donation is so important to help SA-YES support the young people in South Africa. And thank you to Michelle and Julie who accompanied me via text messages and emails during this walk. That was a huge motivation.

I got to know OTSK by recommendation. When I first looked at their website, I was certain that this organization was the right one for me to support. In 2007 I was diagnosed with cancer. During this scary and dark time it was most important to me to have people around me who stand by my side, who support me and to whom I can turn to every time, when I need them. And that is exactly what OTSK stands for. It gives young adults people who they can turn to and who care about them. I think that this is the greatest gift of all.

After two cancer surgeries my doctor told me that the only thing I could do to fight against the still growing cancer is to strengthen my immune system by doing endurance sport. So I thought that I could conjoin supporting OTSK and do something for my health by running the British 10k London Run in July for OTSK. I sent an 
e-mail to OTSK to ask if they would need another participant for the race. I received very kind and touching 
e-mails from Julie and Michelle who made me feel that they would be pleased if I would run for OTSK.

Before the surgeries I could just put on my running shoes and run 10 kilometres without preparation. But since my right vocal chord is paralyzed, it has – beside of the difficulties of talking – become harder to breathe, when I jog. After about 5 minutes I have the feeling that I am breathing through a thin straw, but the good thing is: It’s not getting worse. I could even finish a marathon without getting serious problems like my other doctor suspected. It’s all a question of will and good preparation. So now I’m preparing for the British 10k Run and jog at least two times a week. It is good to work towards one objection so cold and rain is no excuse for not running.

I am really looking forward to come to London and to support OTSK, because it is important and very rewarding to me to share a bit of the luck that I have in my life. So I hope the little that I do is going to help OTSK to continue doing such fantastic work they are already doing.

Sabine Schmidt

If you would like to join Sabine in running the British 10k London Run for OTSK, please send an email to events@sa-yes.com.

Ride from Richmond Really Rewarding

Have you ever wanted to take part in a charity cycle ride? Here is your chance!  On Sunday 29^th May your ride will start in Richmond and follow the Thames through the spring-time countryside of Walton-on-Thames, Cobham and Windsor. Over £20,000 will be raised for charity by the 200 cyclists who are expected to take part.

Daring Dozen’s Deeds Dedicated to OTSK

Off The Street Kids (OTSK) needs 12 volunteers to take part in this fantastic event.  There is a registration fee of £25.00 and you pledge to raise a minimum sponsorship of £100. The funds raised will enable the continuation of the vital work of Off The Street Kids.

Lean or Long A Length at Leisure

There are two routes from which to choose; a short route of 50 miles or a longer route of 100 miles. No experience is necessary just cycle at a pace that suits you. In true sporting spirit the event is all about taking part and not the winning.

Brisk Booking Bags a Bike Ride

Booking early will avoid disappointment as the number of places in the ride is limited. Please request further information by sending email to sa-yes.com.

Thank you so much for your support!

We are nearing the end of the first year of our pilot programme and are now officially registered as a Trust here in South Africa.  As many of you know, in the UK we are registered as Off The Street Kids.  Here in South Africa we are registered as Siyaphambili OTSK.  We asked the young people taking part in the programme to come up with a name and they chose Siyaphambili. Siyaphambili means “we are moving forward” in Xhosa (one of the 11 official languages spoken in South Africa) and it encompasses what we do. Using OTSK at the end keeps us connected to the UK organisation.

We are wrapping up the year with evaluations of the mentees to assess their progress since joining the programme and we are delighted with the outcomes.  We have a fun day planned for the mentors, mentees and Siyaphambili OTSK staff where we will all celebrate our accomplishments this year.  We are recruiting mentors and developing the programme, which looks quite different for next year. We have learnt a great deal in 2010 and we are are looking forward to 2011!

Sunday 29th August 2010, four excited girls from Aussie X-Files Fans @ Facebook took part in the “Bridge To Brisbane” 10km walk – raising funds online over the past few months for OTSK. After months of training, Team AXF were ready!

The day started out very early, with all of us rising at 4am (in the dark) to be at the starting line for the 6am start.  The walk took us from Brisbane’s “Gateway Bridge”, down along the Brisbane River, onto the Inner City Bypass and finishing at the RNA Showgrounds. At times, the walk was challenging – especially conquering the bridge and the inner city bypass which both had large inclines. We are proud to say that we completed the walk in a little over 2 hours, and managed to raise £300 (a little under $500AU) – thank you to everyone who believed in us, and sponsored us!

We are hoping that we can better our time next year and get under the 2 hour mark!

- Sandi Hicks

From our intern…

Today was the first official day of the 2010 World Cup. As most of you should know the host country is South Africa. South Africa is the first African nation to host the World Cup. The country has spent a lot of money, time and resources into getting ready for all the visitors and international viewers that will be watching the games. To start the festivities there was a parade yesterday and today was the grand opening of the Fan Fest Center, which will be open everyday of the cup and will show the all the games live on the big screen. I went with the Beth Uriel boys and staff. The car ride there was amazing. I have video of the guys signing and celebrating on the car ride to the site. Once there we had to wait with hundreds of other people for the center to open at 11 am. All you could see were South African flags, yellow and gold, Bafana colors and vuvuzelas! Finally we were let in and we found a spot to listen to music and wait for the match to start. I wondered around the center and even bought some of my first gift purchases. They had food tents, bars, a huge stage, information centers; it was quite the set up. In every city where there is a stadium there is a fan fest center. All of the guys from Beth Uriel spilt up from the adults and did their own thing although we did see them periodically throughout the day.

Being at fan fest was such an out of body experience. And contrary to popular belief a lot of South Africans stayed at home and watched the game and festivities from the safety of their own home. There were a ton of foreigners at Fan Fest. Getting closer to 4 pm the excitement is building and then we are watching the beautiful opening ceremonies taking place at Soccer City in Johannesburg. There are loud screams when the South African team gets on the field. The country is so proud of its players. President Zuma gives his speech and starts the games and finally the match begins. I have never watched an entire soccer match before but I can tell you it may now be my favorite sport. I don’t know if it is World Cup fever but it was interesting from beginning to end, I could keep track of the ball and the players and it has a pretty hard intensity. When South Africa scored I thought the entire country burst out in cheers. Everyone started dancing, cheering, hooting their horns and celebrating the point. I was jumping around like I had lived there my whole life and knew what the game was about.

It was such an incredible honor to be a part of such a historic moment for South Africa and its people. South Africans know how amazing its country is, how naturally beautiful it is and how plentiful its resources can be. And now the rest of the world can share in that pride.