Marianne Briggs's Great Wall of China fundraising diary

January 2007

Alice and I sent off for the information and applied for the challenge. I had wanted to apply since I spotted a postcard advertising the challenge in 2005. Funnily enough, Alice had the same idea about the same time. Clearly, great minds think alike!
Marianne's photos of the challenge

Started looking into ways of fundraising. I discussed the best way to go about it with my knowledgeable friends in events and fundraising, Kath Mainland and Judith Craig. I decided that using a justgiving site and putting on a Ceilidh, pub quizes, and cake bakes were probably going to be the best way to go.
I started compiling a list of friends and family email addresses to send out my justgiving site to.
Alice and I chose to set up separate justgiving sites as I decided to raise the travel costs for the trip through working part-time over the Summer.

I began to try and get some press for the challenge. This proved difficult as I missed the final deadline for the student newspaper at Edinburgh where I’m currently studying for an MSc in Classics.
I began to look into how to write sponsorship letters, and started compiling a list of local businesses and institutions to send them too.
My friend Ali Foster and I began discussing how to organise the Ceilidh.

Using our connections with The Merlin Pub in Morningside, Edinburgh, Ali and I secured a free venue for the Ceilidh. The next step was finding a Ceilidh Band for £250. This proved difficult, and eventually I found one through a friend (Chuck) who gave me the number for Norman McKay and the Ceilidh Experience. The band was set to cost £350 for the night, but the pub was extremely kind and offered to pay £150 of the fee.
Having set up my justgiving site I sent out my first press release via email to all my friends and family. My Mum then sent this on to various family and friends and we got a good response from them.
My friend Isis was the first to sponsor me on my justgiving site. This was very exciting as it meant my fundraising had finally started…

With the date for the Ceilidh set as the 1st June, Ali Foster and I set to work in making sure it happened. Ali took responsibility of organising the raffle and promoting the Ceilidh at the pub, whilst I made posters and flyered Morningside and the University.
We got a great response for the raffle and a number of kind Edinburgh businesses gave us raffle prizes including: The Merlin, Est Est Est, Jekyll & Hyde, Lush, Macs Jewellery, and Run & Become.
I sent out my sponsorship letters in May too. Unfortunately, I’ve not heard back from most of them and the companies I did hear back from said ‘no thank you’. However, Run & Become did give us a raffle prize, so I felt the effort was worth it.
With some effort I also managed to get a piece in the local free newspaper the West End Gazette.

The Ceilidh was a huge success, raising £630 for Epilepsy Action. We decorated the room with Epilepsy Action balloons and flags, and had sweets and snacks on all the tables. I also set up a table with information about Epilepsy Action on it and a booklet showing what the Challenge itself is all about. It was great fun, and over 60 people attended throughout the night. The raffle was very popular too.
Mariamne's photos of the night
It was a diverse group of friends, friends of friends, pub workers, random people who were out in Morningside that night, and even a stray hen party. For anyone else organising a similar event I would definitely say that you can not advertise enough. Poster everywhere, to everyone, and anyone!
After the Ceilidh, my justgiving site and fundraising reached a fabulous £870.
Continued training for the trek by walking up Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh frequently.
Following further circulation of my Press Release by my dad I received further sponsorship and donations for the charity.

This month I’ve started to train seriously for the challenge by taking up swimming in the mornings two-three times a week. As I already walk for at least an hour a day this seems enough for the moment, although I am looking to do more serious walking at the weekends.
I’ve also started to organise a pub quiz and am fundraising by selling cakes when I go into my part-time job on Wednesday’s each week.
To date my fundraising (including money I’ve raised through working, the justgiving site and events) is at £1484.50.
Back in Wales, Alice and my parents are planning a car boot sale to fundraise for the charity. Alice and I had planned to do this at the beginning of the month, but we were rained off along with our plans to climb Snowdon for practice.
I’m also trying to organise a trip up Ben Nevis for the beginning of September and hopefully another Ceilidh either before, or just after, I go to China for the trek.
Mariamme Photo's of the challenge

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Epilepsy groups challenge patients to take charge of their health
Less than half of patients with active epilepsy in the United States are informed by their doctors about treatment options, according to a survey by the American Epilepsy Society and the Epilepsy Foundation.
Reports of seizure frequency may be inaccurate in patients with partial epilepsy
Asking people who have partial seizures how often they have seizures does not appear to provide an accurate count, according to a report in the journal Archives of Neurology.