Friday 5th February 2010 Welcome to February 2010 Newsletter It's been a hectic start to the new year for touraid with the progression of incoming tours for 2010 and also the organisation of some great fund raising events. The Caldy Festival is taking shape and touraid can now confirm 8 tours to be hosted by UK schools and clubs in the coming months with potential for many more. You might like to spare a thought for Dan Bracken who is currently land rowing his way to a million meters for touraid - he's about one tenth of the way there but discovered he wasn't an oarsman almost immediately!! Keep rowing Dan.. Thank you as always for your continued support and hope to see you at one of our fundraising events in the near future. Andy Berry CALDY TOURAID FESTIVAL 2010 It was great to meet all the schools last week in the Wirral and see their enthusiasm and commitment for this unique event. Birkenhead, Pensby Sports College, Kingsmead Prep, West Kirby Residential School and St Anselm's are busy fundraising for their guests from Thailand, Swaziland, Botswana, India and Sierra Leone. Anselm's school are heading out to Sierra Leone to continue an existing relationship between their link community and their school by finding the best way of getting the children over for the festival. Many cultural activities are being planned in the lead up to September and any companies wishing to support Caldy RFC's effort please contact : janecorlett@tiscali.co.uk For more information on other incoming tours and hosting schools and clubs for 2010 please click here. Rift Valley Kenya and Oundle School The Ngecho School from Rift Valley, Kenya will be cementing their relationship with Oundle School with their tour this June. The visitors will be taking part in drama, rugby and athletics. The headmaster Charles Bush said "We are fully supportive of the aims and long term goals in this exciting venture." To support Oundle's tour please contact Ian Clark or Marianne Leyden at ML@oundleschool.org.uk Desert Camels still playing Rugby The Desert Camels toured in 2008 and were hosted by Hawthorns School. The boys returned to their rural communities and each started to coach teams of 15-20 boys. As a consequence the area now has 12 rugby teams in the surrounding schools and villages and the boys themselves are the coaches, enthusing and imparting knowledge each of them gained from the week at Hawthorns. The boys and coach are in constant contact sending photos and updates to their hosts. Should you find yourself in the area please contact Wazeeri at wazeeri_desertcamels@yahoo.com The picture was sent by the Desert Camels who were celebrating new year's day with 15 a side rugby match held at Govt High School Fort Abbas ground. Support team touraid in the Brighton Marathon The first Brighton Marathon takes place on Sunday 18th April and touraid hope to have 5 runners looking for your support. This exciting new event will take place the weekend before the Virgin London Marathon, guaranteeing a spring marathon event for all. The race route will take in the best of the city centre and fabulous stretches of coastal road, including the panoramic views that you'd expect where the glorious South Downs meet the English Channel. It promises to be a great day. If you would like to sponsor touraid's Brighton Marathon runners please visit our fundraising events page below. Click here for touraid's fundraising events GUINESS PREMIERSHIP TROPHY AND QUINS On Tuesday 16th February come and meet 4 Quins players for a Q and A Session from 7-10pm at the Cabbage Patch. The Cabbage Patch is celebrating its 30th Birthday and this is the first of a number of big events they are holding to celebrate their benefit year. Will Skinner, Chris Robshaw, James Percival and David Strettle will all be at the Patch to answer your questions. Also the Guiness Premiership Trophy will be there and you can have your photograph taken with the trophy and the players. Customers will receive signed balls if there question is picked out and we will have signed shirts, balls, tickets and other goodies to give away, all in aid of charities one of which is touraid. The event is free to all and the first of many to help celebrate 30 years as "the most famous rugby pub in the world!" The players availability is subject to change in their schedules. Raging Bull Raging Bull is pleased to announce and are proud to have teamed up with touraid as a new preferred kit supplier. Raging Bull's Managing Director said, 'this is an exciting new partnership and we are proud to be associated with touraid as it is such a great cause!' Last October one of Raging Bulls staff members, Buster White and Sailen Tudu, who is sponsored by Raging Bull supported touraid by playing in their All Stars charity match at Esher Rugby club. touraid kit will be available to purchase from the website within the next few months. Kit for Cambodian referees Ian Coleman, a referee for the London Society recently visited Cambodia and was appalled at the quality of kit the Cambodian referees were wearing. Ian said "As you will know, due to the genocide and extreme poverty, sport is put on the back-burner when it comes to family economics. Having a job earning £5 a day is doing well. I am trying to get some shirts to send to the referees, I know clubs get some aid from your organisation but this is probably the first concerning referees. To see touch judges in bare feet or flip flops shows dedication, how lucky are we sometimes!" touraid are delighted to have been able to help and kit has been sent out this week for Ian to take with him on his next trip to Cambodia. We have asked him to keep us updated and will hopefully have some pictures and news shortly. Rowing a million metres for touraid! As mentioned previously we would like to say a huge thank you to Dan Bracken who is on his way to earning a well deserved award while raising funds for touraid. Dan, who pays rugby for East London RFC, has so far covered over 120,000 metres and we will be following his progress throughout the coming months. Please support this huge fundraising effort by sponsoring Dan through his Just Giving Page below. Should you be interested in running, cycling, parachuting or maybe even mountain climbing for touraid please see the attached list of sponsored events. Click here to sponsor Dan in his quest to row a million meters. Facebook/Twitter reminder touraid has joined the social networking world, we are now reside on both Twitter and Facebook. Join as a friend or follow us by searching for touraid and keep up to date with all the latest news and events. FUTURE EVENTS RUGBY FIGHT NIGHT FOR TOURAID 14TH MAY The fighters have signed up and the training has begun now we need to fill the tables. The inaugural rugby fight night for touraid is to be held at Rosslyn Park and promises to be the event of the year. 12 rugby clubs - 6 fights - 1 cause. For more information on this exciting night visit the Rugby Fight Night web site. QUESTION OF SPORT 22ND FEBRUARY 2010 AT BURHILL GOLF CLUB Just a reminder that there are still a few tables available for the Question of Sport evening at Burhill Golf Club. The panel will include Mike Catt, Doug McClelland, Pip Elson and Peter Winterbottom. The Club have kindly offered to donate all the proceeds from the evening to touraid. For more information please contact Gill Fee g.fee@burhillgolf-club.co.uk or Click here to view flyer touraid is a UK registered company by Guarantee UK Reg. Charity No 1116664 office@touraid.org www.touraid.org 01932 863388 07980 042358 This e-mail was sent by touraid. If you cannot see this e-mail correctly, please click here. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.