The Women’s 10K is fast approaching, and with that in mind – have you signed up yet? Would you consider being part of our team for the UK’s biggest women-only 10K?
Or are you a man, who’s girlfriend / wife / sister / friend / work colleague might be up for the challenge?
Perhaps you could even have a competition…girls against boys…the girls take part in the Women’s 10K and the boys in the Men’s 10K in June, and this serves as your training for a ‘showdown’ at the Great Scottish Run?
Just an idea of course, I know we’re not all as competitive as that!!

Just this week a lady who has recently given birth signed up to take part and support us, and she intends to walk the course, with her friend, and with baby in tow – so there are lots of options available!

We would be delighted to have you on board, wearing our running top and raising awareness for the work we do here at Funding Neuro and Wobbly Williams. Raising sponsorship is entirely optional of course (any donations are gratefully received), but first and foremost we’d just love you to be telling the world who we are.

If you would like to take part but haven’t signed up yet, please click here

To learn more about Funding Neuro or Wobbly Williams and how you can get involved, please drop me an email on maisie@fundingneuro.com or call me on 0141 585 6470

When Funding Neuro was nominated a second time to be the beneficiary, I wasn’t going to miss it. The event was held on Saturday 2 March and I hot footed it there from Manchester where I had been speaking at a conference the night before. It was nuts.

Everyone goes to the Big Fat Wedding dressed as in wedding attire. I went as the Reverend I M Wobbly. It was a fantastic night. The auction and raffles raised over £3K and everyone had a great time. There was a cocktail bar with a last minute stand in cocktail mixologist. Zoltan the Incredible didn’t show and couldn’t be contacted. Zoltan the Unobtainable.

A brilliant night. Thanks to the Dunblane Fundraisers for supporting our charity and to the locals for donating so generously. And thanks to Anne Marie for kicking my butt.

But it has been amazing…. in four weeks she has performed a minor miracle in getting events organised, databases sorted out and started the process of building the foundations of Wobbly Williams (the Parkinson’s awareness raising and tomfoolery experts) and Funding Neuro (the serious charity side of life).

What events? I hear you shout …. here goes…
18 April – A Dinner With The Lions
8 June – the Glasgow Jellympics & World Haggis Hurling Championships
9 to 15 June – Wobbly Walk VI
28 July – The New Forest Show
5 September – Gavin Hastings Classic featuring The Wobbly Strider Cup at The Carrick on Loch Lomond
24 Oct – Funding Neuro Fright Night/Chef’s Dinner, Houston House Near Edinburgh

In addition, events are in the pipeline; a dinner in Aberdeen, comedy in Glasgow, more WobbleAid. A year of fundraising at Bothwell Castle. A new TryAthletes cafe.

Exciting times. Welcome on board Maisie.

Pretty in pink

2 March 2013 :: Victoria Halls, Dunblane. The Dunblane Fundraisers outdid themselves once again with an amazing evening of bridal wear, bling and Bellinis! Oh what fun was had! The night included a raffle with many fantastic prizes, a silent auction, and a whole lot of dancing…and has raised around £3,000 – thank you ladies!!!

Thanks also to Bob Dale, the photographer, and his props. For Bob’s work please visit: www.bobdalephoto.com
And please do have a look at some of the photos from the night: here

Old faces have signed up and new ones are joining. One of the newbies, Leona, is organising the trip, she used to live on the island and has planned the route.  We start with a right good piss up in Castletown on Sunday 9 June to get us in the mood and on Monday head to Port Erin along the coastal path. On Tuesday we move on up the coast to Peel. Wednesday we cross the island to Douglas and Thursday take an excursion up Snaefell. on Friday we walk the coastal path once more from Douglas to the finish in Castletown.

The design of the inevitable t-shirt is underway, and it will feature the equally inevitable three legged Mr Wobbly. A bit obvious but couldn’t pick anything else apart from a Mr Wobbly with no tail. Which would just look like Mr Wobbly.

So there we have it.  We have about twelve signed up, if anyone else fancies it then drop an email to Bryn@wobblywilliams.com

This painful start to 2013 was tempered by the incredible World Darts Final, won for the sixteenth time by Phil The Power Taylor. He was majestic. Coming from 2-0 and 4-2 down to win 7-4. Thirty years older than his opponent, it was a masterclass.

The live text commentary on BBC online was excellent and included tweets from public and celebrity alike. Sir Clive Woodward said… “C’mon Phil – brilliant TV, what a great start to sport for 2013 whatever the outcome… Darts is definitely a sport – most top sports allow true champions to show how they perform under pressure, darts has this in abundance.”

Now. Where do I get as new phone?

The success of the year was the commencement of the trials in Bristol in November. An undoubted success but also typical of the frustrations which I have suffered this year. Frustration from getting involved with the trials in January 2011 yet it taking 22 months before a further substantial step is made. The momentum I had from the summer of 2010, which ran into 2011, ran out in 2012.

There are many reasons for this but the primary ones are Kilimanjaro made me realise I had to change my working life and on the charity side I stopped driving the initiatives which made us unique. I put my faith in others and I have, effectively, been sidelined. The voice of urgency in 2010 has been a whisper in 2012.

It’s all very well moaning but as Ian said to me when I was diagnosed “so what are you going to do about it?”

Back to basics. Back to outlandish stunts and ridiculous ventures but underpinned, this time, with organisation. We have recruited our first full-time fundraising manager, Maisie Hamilton, who joins us from the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice. She starts on 1 February and has been to many wobbly events in recent years and totally gets what we are about. Alan Kennedy is taking a more active role with the TryAthletes and with Jennifer Reoch managing the PR we will be a formidible team.

This year will see us build the world’s largest jelly mosaic at the New Forest Show, dabble with the Loch Ness Monster and see more Wobbly events than ever before.

Disappointingly, I need to exercise more. I have noticed a decline in my well-being over the last two months, since having taken my foot off the gas towards the end of October. I need to get that back. One of the lines I trot out to others with Parkinson’s is “use it or lose it”. I need to start listening to myself. This year will see the beginning of my cycling endeavours and possibly a duathlon or a triathlon.

Creation IP will continue to grow. From starting out on my own in May, we had seven at the Christmas party not including the three who couldn’t make it. There is plenty of work, plenty of clients and I’m learning fast about cash flow!

So here’s to 2013. An opportunity presents itself. Let’s see if I can take it.

Go back to being ordinary Bryn? We can’t have that.