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!