How fantastic is that?!! A huge thank you to all our Mules and their families, our support crew and everyone who has donated and supported us on Mule Bretagne. The amount of money raised has so far exceeded our expectations and we have lots of plans for how we’re going to spend it!
The majority of the money will be allocated to our three charities with £9,000 being aside for each charity. Initial projects having been identified as follows:
Some of their money will help Le Rondin School fund the next stage of the development of their Garden of Reflection, planting the area and installing a water fountain and seating. The garden will be an important area for pupils, parents and staff to enjoy a tranquil haven, enjoy peace and quiet and relax in challenging times. The rest will help buy sports equipment and toys for the children and service their bikes.
Commitment to fund the travel costs for the Guernsey Disabled Sports Association to attend the Bath and West Games for three years from 2015-2017 and supply team vests, t-shirts and hoodies. We funded the travel for the 2014 Games in May when the GSAD took a team of 20 to the games and returned with silverware across the sports.
The hydro-pool at the St Martins Day Care Centre is already in the process of being restored to working order and is due to open on 1 November. We are funding the cost of this along with the monthly maintenance and any repairs for the next six years, as well as supplying dressing gowns and towels for the users. The pool is of huge benefit to the users of the Centre and it has been very much missed while it has been out of action.
Some of our riders wanted to split their sponsorship with other charities, which we were obviously very happy to support and will be allocated as follows. Rather than handing over cheques OF&D prefers to work with the organisations to identify specific needs and projects and then pay the bills direct.
– £2,000 Le Murier School
– £750 Guernsey Disabled Football Association
– £1,000 Special Needs Gym
– £1,000 Monday Club
– £750 Schools Rugby (girls and boys teams)
– £1,200 Cancer Research UK
– £1,100 donation to a family with a child with a rare intestinal condition
– £650 Royal Temple Yacht Club Sailing Academy
£1,000 will also be donated to the Dallaglio Foundation, which is where this all started. We set up OF&D as a result of completing two Dallaglio Cycle Slams in 2010 and 2012 to keep some of the money we raised on the Island. This donation will bring the total we have raised for the Foundation to £20,014!
Despite the wind and the pain but possibly because of the wine…..our Mules seem to want to do it again – so we will! The Mule de Normandie will take place in June 2016 and will take in historic sites across the region including the battlefields where will pay our respects shortly after the annual marking of the D-Day landings.