Ok, so last thursday the leaflets came - it turned out the nice printer people did over 1000 and decided to just carry on until the box was full, which was nice! The leaflets look so professional and I am really pleased with how they have turned out. I have started handing them out to people in school but so far nothing in the way of donations has happened.. However, each year, me and my family go to the local pubs where my community (The Five Parishes) all join together and sing carols. It's such a good part of Christmas for me and I've taken this as an opportunity to hand more leaflets out and let them all know what's going on in my life! Last night was the first pub carols and this old friend of mine just took out £20 from his pocket and gave it to me - he was also Scottish, so I suggested we put my ceilidhing skills to the test!
I will also be going to Church on Sunday to give a small talk about what I'm doing next year to the congregation and then another, more in depth talk on the third Sunday of January - I'll be handing out leaflets in both of these! I am quite confident the people in The Five Parishes will support me as I've known them all for most of my life and they all know me quite well, be it in the form of spontaneous donations or sponsering for events and things.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Friday, 2 December 2011
Leaflet news!
Ok so just after writing that last blog, me and mum went to the printing company (M&B Print - look them up) and they've done me a proof. That is basically the leaflet printed on two A3 pieces of card but at the A4 size in the middle. So I got to see what it would look like! It's looking really good - we have to make a couple of changes, like making the background lighter in order to be able to read all of the information easier.
But the icing on the cake was when Dave (the main man) said that he'd be able to do me 1000 prints for £60! That is so cheap when you think that it's done on proper glossy card and it's all just generally amazingly well printed. The normal price is twice that and he said that if he could, he'd do them all for free... but sadly he still needs to cover the costs somehow! So I'm happy with that. ALSO they'll be done within a few days! Which means I'll be able to send my letters off soon! Aaaaaaaaaaah! I'm a happy girl.
But the icing on the cake was when Dave (the main man) said that he'd be able to do me 1000 prints for £60! That is so cheap when you think that it's done on proper glossy card and it's all just generally amazingly well printed. The normal price is twice that and he said that if he could, he'd do them all for free... but sadly he still needs to cover the costs somehow! So I'm happy with that. ALSO they'll be done within a few days! Which means I'll be able to send my letters off soon! Aaaaaaaaaaah! I'm a happy girl.
Busy week...
So basically for the past week, me and my mum decided I need to be proactive and start getting things properly done!
Luckily, because she designs the local village magazine, we have a really good and professional program on the computer to make and design leaflets, and I'm good at art... so all in all we're a good pair to get the leaflet done! After about 30 minutes of getting used to the program, it probably took me about 2 hours to design and put everything I needed to say in it. I'm really proud of how good it looks and we'll be getting it printed at a professional printing company (who my mum also uses for the mag - so many connections!) and because they know us, I can probably get a deal on the printing too!
That day, I also set up my virgingiving account which was scary as it makes you realise really how much you need to raise. £5100 is a lot of money. It's really exciting though because I already have two donations (admitedly they are both from members of my family, but it gets the ball rolling all the same!) which just makes me feel like the whole this IS going to happen. So exciting! The link to my virgingiving account is: www.virginmoneygiving.com/marysquibb so feel free to donate as you wish! Every little helps and it will honestly make such a difference to my life.
I've also started researching and finding charitable trusts to write to and so far have about 20. I need to find so many more but it's long, hard work! Once I've got the leaflets printed though, I'll be sending a letter along with a leaflet out to each trust and will hopefully get some donations from them.
I've written to Tescos asking for a deal on 100 smartie tubes so I can give one out to each of my friends, they eat the smarties, then return them full of 20p or £1 coins - so that'll be soon too.
It's difficult finding time for all of the fundraising and getting round to doing things along with my A2's and exams in January and my piano exam next week... but I'm confident I'll get it done anyway. I've got loads of ideas of how to fundraise but need to get around to actually talking to those in charge to ask if it's allowed/possible and to book places to do it in. For example I was thinking of having a waxing day where the rugby team and popular male teachers get their legs waxed... but the difficult thing is organising a place in the school to hold it and to get people to actually come and watch (and hopefully give money for).
Oh well - I'm still positive about it all and I know that all of my hard work at the moment will be soooo worth it when I'm out in China!
Luckily, because she designs the local village magazine, we have a really good and professional program on the computer to make and design leaflets, and I'm good at art... so all in all we're a good pair to get the leaflet done! After about 30 minutes of getting used to the program, it probably took me about 2 hours to design and put everything I needed to say in it. I'm really proud of how good it looks and we'll be getting it printed at a professional printing company (who my mum also uses for the mag - so many connections!) and because they know us, I can probably get a deal on the printing too!
That day, I also set up my virgingiving account which was scary as it makes you realise really how much you need to raise. £5100 is a lot of money. It's really exciting though because I already have two donations (admitedly they are both from members of my family, but it gets the ball rolling all the same!) which just makes me feel like the whole this IS going to happen. So exciting! The link to my virgingiving account is: www.virginmoneygiving.com/marysquibb so feel free to donate as you wish! Every little helps and it will honestly make such a difference to my life.
I've also started researching and finding charitable trusts to write to and so far have about 20. I need to find so many more but it's long, hard work! Once I've got the leaflets printed though, I'll be sending a letter along with a leaflet out to each trust and will hopefully get some donations from them.
I've written to Tescos asking for a deal on 100 smartie tubes so I can give one out to each of my friends, they eat the smarties, then return them full of 20p or £1 coins - so that'll be soon too.
It's difficult finding time for all of the fundraising and getting round to doing things along with my A2's and exams in January and my piano exam next week... but I'm confident I'll get it done anyway. I've got loads of ideas of how to fundraise but need to get around to actually talking to those in charge to ask if it's allowed/possible and to book places to do it in. For example I was thinking of having a waxing day where the rugby team and popular male teachers get their legs waxed... but the difficult thing is organising a place in the school to hold it and to get people to actually come and watch (and hopefully give money for).
Oh well - I'm still positive about it all and I know that all of my hard work at the moment will be soooo worth it when I'm out in China!
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Welcome to my blog! What's happened so far...
So this is my first blog!
Basically, to get you all in the know, I'm going away to China next year with the organisation Project Trust. They send volunteers (like me) out to third world countries to help improve the community and help develop the country. I'll be teaching children English and will be living in a flat with my partner. I'll find out who my partner is on training in July next year (all very exciting) and basically, we'll be spending the whole year living and working together.
China is a country where everything I will experience is different: the food, the language, the colourful festivals and the people. I will attend a week long language course at the beginning of the year and will get on-going weekly tuition in Mandarin by another teacher working at my school.
I can't wait - it's just going to be oh so amazing!
A couple of weeks ago in the October half term, me and 40ish other people all went to the Isle of Coll in Scotland, a tiny island with only around 200 people. We all learnt dances for the Ceilidh at the end of the week, we had lessons on how to teach and then held a lesson of our own, we dug lazy-beds and climbed to the tallest point on Coll (and sat on a rock), we played in the sea and wrote essays, we played group games and gave presentations on Coll, we had an amazing time. We were all strangers but now, we have all become amazing friends. It was such a good week and the feeling of accomplishment after just those 5 days was incredible! Because of that, I can't even imagine how a year in a completely different country will feel like, but I'm guessing, it'll be pretty nice.
Once I got my letter telling me that I'll be going to China, I had to begin thinking about fundraising. The cost for the whole year is £5100 and so far, I have around about £0. So there's no time like the present to get going! I already have loads of ideas to fundraise - so far I've come up with hiring and holding a formal dinner evening in the local Chinese, having a sponsored bath of beans in a local town, organising and holding a professional concert with pianist Christopher Weston, and simply having jars for spare coins on counters of pubs or shops etc.
But for now, I'm just going to put up some photos of Coll :)
Also, here's a video of what Project Trust do!
Basically, to get you all in the know, I'm going away to China next year with the organisation Project Trust. They send volunteers (like me) out to third world countries to help improve the community and help develop the country. I'll be teaching children English and will be living in a flat with my partner. I'll find out who my partner is on training in July next year (all very exciting) and basically, we'll be spending the whole year living and working together.
China is a country where everything I will experience is different: the food, the language, the colourful festivals and the people. I will attend a week long language course at the beginning of the year and will get on-going weekly tuition in Mandarin by another teacher working at my school.
I can't wait - it's just going to be oh so amazing!
A couple of weeks ago in the October half term, me and 40ish other people all went to the Isle of Coll in Scotland, a tiny island with only around 200 people. We all learnt dances for the Ceilidh at the end of the week, we had lessons on how to teach and then held a lesson of our own, we dug lazy-beds and climbed to the tallest point on Coll (and sat on a rock), we played in the sea and wrote essays, we played group games and gave presentations on Coll, we had an amazing time. We were all strangers but now, we have all become amazing friends. It was such a good week and the feeling of accomplishment after just those 5 days was incredible! Because of that, I can't even imagine how a year in a completely different country will feel like, but I'm guessing, it'll be pretty nice.
Once I got my letter telling me that I'll be going to China, I had to begin thinking about fundraising. The cost for the whole year is £5100 and so far, I have around about £0. So there's no time like the present to get going! I already have loads of ideas to fundraise - so far I've come up with hiring and holding a formal dinner evening in the local Chinese, having a sponsored bath of beans in a local town, organising and holding a professional concert with pianist Christopher Weston, and simply having jars for spare coins on counters of pubs or shops etc.
But for now, I'm just going to put up some photos of Coll :)
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| Half of us on the top of the rock I was talking about (I'm sitting down in the red coat) |
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| The other half |
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| When we went for a dip in the sea - so cold. |
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| Random photo of one of the individual groups |
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| Coll had nice beaches. Oh so very nice. |
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| Oscar and Lucy (Oscar is the 9 year old and Lucy is the 7 year old. I know. You'd think it's the other way round, but it's really not). These are my hosts children who I stayed with :) |
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