Latest Update from Fiona

Hello all

I know that you have been eagerly awaiting information about your teams – I am so sorry this took a while but some people have dropped out, others have asked to join at the eleventh hour and some forms were delayed – and I really didn’t want to do the logistics twice!!

We originally said that we would put 5 teams in but we have very nearly enough people for 10 – Shelterbox have swallowed hard and said yes to 10 (it affects their logistics too but then they remembered the money!) which means that we will raise –as an absolute minimum - £10,000 for Shelterbox.

This means 20 boxes – or more importantly 200 people provided with shelter and a means to cook during a disaster – I think that is amazing and I know that with a bit of effort we can really top that figure. One person has already raised in excess of £800 so the gauntlet has been well and truly thrown down.

It also means that we need to recruit more facilitators but we’re onto it.

The teams are:

Team 1 (Martin to facilitate) - Michele Perks, Antje Pinkney & Rik Bennett

Team 2 (James to facilitate) - Jess Bartlett, Sarah Howard & Nigel Barker

Team 3 (Fiona to facilitate) - Sarah Trethowan, Sally Heard & Nicola Moule

Team 4 (Facilitator TBA) - Stafford Sumner, Joss Price, plus one other TBA

Team 5 (Facilitator TBA) - Melissa Meade, Caroline Williams plus one other TBA

Teams 6 & 7 Derriford x2 (Nik & Rob to facilitate) - Andy McMinn, Andrew Gordon, Chris Stevens, Donna Pavey, Aaron Boylan & Luke (? No form yet).

Team 8 Atkins Ferrie (no facilitator) - Jenny Bickerstaff, Joanna Wilkinson-Horton, Maria Lee-Small & Kate Hutchins.

Team 9 Grow Cornwall (no facilitator) - Laurence MacRory, Andrew Farmer & Andrew Finley (plus one other TBC).

Team 10 Harry’s Team (no facilitator) - Harry Hart, Graham Donaldson, Simon Bealey & Matthew Buchan.

Any problems with this please let us know and we will try to resolve them. You can get an email address for the people in your team from the group above but please do not use this information for any other purpose without permission. If you are using your work email address please make sure no one ends up on your general database without agreeing first.

On a separate note, as well as fundraising evolution are donating 24 days of time to this endeavour and you are each receiving free leadership and team development for which we normally charge a nice shiny fee. On that basis please could you make sure that you mention evolution as well as Shelterbox in all your fundraising and publicity materials / social media groups etc. Thank you.

Martin and I have set up a joint Just Giving page if you want to take a look – www.justgiving.com/martin-crump and the official evolution/Shelterbox Facebook Page will appear soon.

Details about the next walk will appear in the next day or two. Please try really hard to turn up to these events – this first one is where you will work and bond with your team mates so it is important.

Finally, Martin and I are off to Peru for a couple of weeks from 1st April to 19th so will be out of touch. If there is anything urgent please contact one of the other facilitators – failing that we’ll collect emails on our return.

I, for one, am really looking forward to getting out in the fresh air with you all. See you on 24th April.

Fiona x

Blacks Outdoor Gear Offer

If anyone is looking for new outdoor gear you may want to check out the Blacks website. They are currently offering 20% off footwear and jackets if you order online.

Plus you can save an extra £10 when you spend over £50. Simply enter 'Over50' at the checkout. Offer valid to Wednesday 31st March 2010

Click on the banner below to visit the Blacks website:

Fund Raising

Below are a few notes on fund raising to help kick start your efforts. We suggest that everyone uses this blog to discuss what they are doing and offer each other help and support.

Team or Individual Fund Raising
You will need to raise a minimum of £1000 per team of 3 or 4 people (the evolution facilitators will also raise funds but we want this to be in addition to your money).

It is entirely up to each team whether they split this three ways to ensure that each person raises their quota (£250 or £333) or whether you pool your efforts and raise funds as a team.

If you choose the latter be aware that there is potential for conflict if you feel that someone hasn’t pulled their weight. However, there is massive learning available to you about how you communicate your concerns and resolve these team issues so please don’t feel you need to shy away from taking the difficult option.

Bank Accounts
Consider whether, as a team, you want to open a bank account specifically for the purposes of banking any money raised. In the interests of transparency we would advise that you take this option rather than put the money through your own personal bank accounts.

Just Giving
It is useful to open a just giving account – either as a team or as individuals.

Go to http://www.justgiving.com/ and follow the instructions to set up your own page. Shelterbox are registered with just giving so it should be easy.

Once you have set your page up you can email the link to anyone and everyone and ask them to donate on line. This route has the additional benefit of allowing people to gift aid their donations. Research has shown that people tend to donate more when paying by debit card than they would in cash.

Events
You may wish to run some events to raise funds – below are some ideas but this is not a definitive list – the potential for ideas is limitless:

• Charity Auctions – scrounge gifts from businesses and auction them off in your local hostelry.

• Raffles – as above but with raffle tickets.

• Cake sales, coffee mornings or tea parties – ask your mum to run one for you with her friends.

• Music night at your local – ask if you can sell tickets to see a band – persuade the band to play for free.

• Be brave and set up a full charity dinner / dance night – give it a theme.

• Book swap – invite people to your house / office ask them to bring 3 books, £5 and a bottle of wine. They swap books and leave with 3 new books for £5, you all drink the wine and you keep the money.

• Have a car boot sale and clear out all your junk.

• Sell stuff on ebay – ask friends for donations of items to sell.

• Make things to sell – if you are artistic make jewellery, paint, take photographs etc.

• Persuade people at work to pay to come in dressed up as...... whatever you like.

• Wash cars at work.

There are millions of ideas – just get out there and have fun with them – and make lots of money. Please make sure that you share your ideas and your successes and failures with each other on the blog.

Meeting Report

We have now had the first two meetings – somewhat disconcertingly many of the faces at the last meeting were different to those on the first night but I guess that’s going to happen.

At the last meeting we started to look at fitness, kit and fundraising which was a phenomenal amount of information in three hours and we're afraid you all looked a bit shell-shocked by the end!

However, as promised we have circulated:

• James’ wonderful fitness booklet.
• Some info on Kit – please notice the fantastic offer from World of Camping.
• A brief introduction to fundraising.

If you have any problems opening these docs please let Fiona know and she will send them in an earlier version of Word or as a hard copy.

Get Registered!
We know that you are all keen to know who your teams are and we are keen to tell you but we still haven’t had all the forms back so weI will let you know as soon as we possibly can – hopefully by the end of the week.

We know that you are keen to plan walks and start fund raising. If you haven’t completed your forms Fiona will contact you separately – please get them back to her ASAP so that we can get going with training etc.

Next Event
For those who didn’t receive it the schedule for the rest of the year is detailed below. The next event is a 5 mile walk on 24th April – details to follow regarding times and location etc. We will encourage you to share lifts so will email out before hand to set something up.

Contact details for the facilitators are as follows:
NB Replace ' at ' in the email adresses with '@ '

Martin Crump
martin at evolution-development.com
01872 555939

Fiona Crump
fiona at evolution-development.com
01872 555939

Nik Green
nik at evolution-development.com

James Hampton
james.hampton at cornwall.ac.uk

Rob Green
robert at inspiringholidays.com

Training Schedule

Here is the schedule of training events for the ShelterBox Challenge. Specific dates and times will be confirmed as we go along:

Wed 3rd March 6p.m. to 8p.m.
Launch Event
Location - The Engine House

Mon 15th March 6p.m. to 8p.m.
Focus on fund raising, what kit will be needed, fitness level required.
Location - The Engine House

Sat 24th April Times TBA
5 mile walk including team building activities. Plus some focus on First Aid.
Location - The Raleigh Estate, near Dartmouth

Sun 23rd May All Day – Times TBA
8 mile walk with a focus on Leadership.
Location - Dartmoor

Thurs 17th June 6p.m. to 8p.m.
Introduction to Navigation by James – hosted by Fiona
Location - The Engine House

Sat 19th June All Day – Times TBA
10 mile walk with a focus on developing navigational skills.
Location - Dartmoor

Sat 17th July All day – Times TBA
12 mile walk team members responsible for navigating / leading etc.
Location - Dartmoor

14th & 15th August 1½ day Times TBA
A 15 mile walk, followed by camp and a five mile walk next morning.
Location - The Raleigh Estate, near Dartmouth

11th & 12th Sept - The Shelterbox Challenge
30 mile walk over two days carrying a ShelterBox!
Dartmoor - Location tbc

18th September - Celebratory Party
Location tbc

Choosing Your Walking Boots

Hopefully you've all had time to read through the information in the kit guide.

The main thing to get right is your boots. During last year's challenge we encountered tarmac, rough tracks, grassland, bogs, streams, rocks & moltern lava (well maybe not the last one!). Whichever way you look at it your feet will get a pounding. Ideally your boots need to be comfortable, supportive, waterproof and breathable. Over 30 miles you will really appreciate how good or bad your boots are!

The following information is taken from the Tiso Website...

Choosing Your Walking Boots

Your new boots are one of the most important items you can buy for hill walking. Choose your boots carefully, ensure they fit you correctly, look after them properly and they will serve you well. The boots you choose must be comfortable, supportive and suited to your chosen activity in order for you to get the most out of them and your activity.

Quick tips
• Consider what type of boots will best suit your activity. There is a baffling variety of boots so narrowing your choice according to activity will make buying boots an easier task. Mountaineering boots will be too stiff and heavy for trail walking and vice versa.

• What materials will you need? What are the most important features for your end use - durable, waterproof, breathable, lightweight etc?

• Try on your new boots with the socks you will be wearing whilst walking. Walk around at home for as long as possible to get a better feel for the fit.

Which type is for you?
Boots can be divided into 3 broad categories:

• Lightweight Walking – These boots are designed for general day walking and therefore are made for comfort, normally have cushioning and generally have a waterproof membrane for wet weather protection. However, they are less supportive and durable than the following and designed primarily for use on easy terrain, like trails and easier hills.

• Mid-weight Walking/Backpacking – When carrying a heavier (multi-day) load, it is essential that your boots can support the extra weight and pressure. These type of boots are designed to be more durable and supportive (and are therefore heavier) than lightweight boots and are intended for shorter trips over moderate terrain. They are suitable for going cross country and venturing onto steeper and more rugged terrain.

• Mountaineering – Top end boots are designed for extended trips or specialist activities. They are therefore generally heavier, more rigid, more supportive and durable than any of the above types of boots. The majority of these types of boots are suitable for use with crampons. Use these for scrambling, via ferrata, mountaineering or climbing.

Materials
Leather - Leather is still the principal material used to make boots. It is available in 3 main types - full grain, nubuck and suede/split. Depending on the combination of the thickness and the tanning process the suppleness, support, durability and water resistance of the uppers will all vary. Lightweight boots utilise softer leather to give instant comfort and performance. In conjunction with the uppers the foam, stiffeners and lining fabrics in a boot will all vary according to end use.

Full grain leather is used in footwear for its durability, support and water resistance. It is generally used in boots designed for lengthy trips, tough terrain and when support and protection are paramount. Full grain leather boots are heavier than those made with fabric or split leather and are therefore more durable and suited to regular use. They will tend to need some breaking in.

Fabric/Split leather - Boots made with split leather, suede, nubuck and/or nylon tend to be softer, lighter and easier on your feet than full grain leather boots. They are therefore more suited to day trips and shorter overnight trips. They generally come with a waterproof membrane such as Gore-Tex or Sympatex and are therefore guaranteed waterproof*.

*The waterproofness of your boots is dependant on how well you look after them.

Socks
An often overlooked (but important) part of boot fitting is ensuring you wear a suitable pair of well fitting socks. Socks can greatly alter the fit and comfort of you boots. Ensure they are well matched to your boots and activity. They can be made from a number of different materials including wool, nylon, polyester or a combination of these and others. The material will have an effect on the warmth, comfort, fit and cushioning of the socks and can be the difference between happy feet and uncomfortable walking.

Fitting
When trying on boots (the later in the day the better to mimic the swell that occurs when walking) ensure they fit snugly around the heel and ankle, but leave ample room to wiggle your toes and curl them without restriction.

When you first try on your boots don’t worry about a little heel lift of a few millimetres; as the boots break-in and mould to your feet, this will decrease and disappear. A boot which is too large can, if necessary, be adjusted with a thicker sock, volume reducer or footbed, but a boot which is too small will cause blisters and discomfort and can never be made to fit.

Even the way the boots are laced can have a dramatic impact on their fit. Try on both boots (most people have one foot slightly bigger than the other) and take a walk around indoors. Try to walk on an incline (such as up and down the stairs) if possible.

If the boots feel comfortable, keep them on for a couple of hours to allow your feet to settle into them and warm up. If the boots do not feel comfortable after this period or it is a great relief to take them off, do not wear them outdoors, return them to the shop and try again. You may need to try a different size, or a different model, or even both. If necessary we encourage you to keep repeating this exercise until you find boots which are comfortable and compatible with your feet.

No matter how good the footwear is, if the fit is bad the boots will not meet your expectations.

Breaking in new boots
Modern technology and designs have virtually eliminated the traditional discomfort of breaking in new boots. You should not need to suffer any agonies! However, a few simple precautions are well worth taking when wearing your boots outdoors for the first time. Wear a pair of good quality, well fitting socks and start by going for a short walk in your new boots. A long day in a pair of brand new boots may lead to some discomfort but if a long walk is unavoidable, take alternative footwear with you in case of problems.

Evolution Launches its ShelterBox Challenge

Last night saw a superb turn-out for the launch of the 2010 Evolution-ShelterBox Dartmoor Challenge at Evolution's headquarters in St Agnes.

The aim of the evening was to attract would-be adventurers and fundraisers to take part in the 2010 ShelterBox Dartmoor Challenge.

We were extremely lucky to have Becky Maynard from ShelterBox on hand to present a short film on the work of ShelterBox and explain a little about her fundraising role. With ShelterBox currently deployed in major disaster areas Haiti and Chile (amongst others) the sheer scale of the fundraising effort is quite awesome.

A live link-up with Ben Spurway from ShelterBox, who is currently on the ground on Haiti, further reinforced the invaluable work that this organisation does in providing immediate aid to disaster zones.


















Following Becky's presentation, Martin Crump from Evolution, gave an insight into last year's Dartmoor ShelterBox challenge and the rationale behind Evolution's involvement in this year's event...

Put simply, Evolution are looking to raise money for ShelterBox by facilitating a number of teams to enter the ShelterBox Challenge. The Challenge is a great opportunity to raise funds but it also represents a fantastic opportunity for participants to challenge themselves.

The Dartmoor Challenge isn't easy - participants will be carrying an actual ShelterBox full of equipment 30 miles across some unforgiving terrain. Recognising that for many this is quite a duanting task, the Evolution team have put together a program of events that will help develop participants fitness and skills so they feel prepared to tackle the challenge.

Aiding and abetting Martin this year will be former ShelterBox Challenge team members James Hampton, brothers Rob & Nik Green and joining the challenge this year, Martin's wife Fiona. The whole team are hugely excited about the prospect of raising funds for ShelterBox and encouraging participants to challenge themslves.

Thank you for all those who attended last night and expressed an interest. We would be grateful if you could return your forms as soon as possible. If you weren't able to attend last night but are still interested please contact Evolution as soon as possible - Tel 01872 555 939