Sober For January for Wythenshawe Hospital

A few weeks ago I posted a blog stating that I was planning to go Sober for January in order to raise money for charity.

I’m happy to say that I have now chosen my charity and am currently in the process of beginning to collect donations.

I have set up a just giving page which can be accessed here and I guess all that's left to tell you is why I'm doing this and who I am doing this for...

Why am I doing this?
As I mentioned previously, I’ve always wanted to do something for charity. Although not drinking alcohol may seem like a bit of a ‘cop out’ to some people, for me it presents a great challenge, and I think if you’re raising money for charity you need to do something that will require determination and perseverance, and above all will be as hard as hell!

31 days – plus new years’ eve – sober will definitely be a challenge for me. I’m just a typical student who likes to go out a lot, and therefore there will be pressures during this month that I will definitely not succumb to! I also go to watch Birmingham City every weekend – and trust me, you need alcohol in your system to witness that.

But back to the serious stuff...

Who am I doing this for?
I’ve not really spoken about this much and only my family and people close to me know about this. However earlier this year, my grandad was diagnosed with lung cancer.

It has been a very worrying time for the whole family, as he had to have a major operation to remove a third of his lung. Thankfully, he is now on the mend and this is where my chosen charity comes in…

My Chosen Charity
My family and I have decided that all of my donations will go to the Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester.

The hospital provided my grandad fantastic treatment, support and care in the time he had to spend there throughout his operation and I really want to give something back to them to show our appreciation.

At a time when hospitals and its staff are getting criticised and scrutinised at every opportunity, I for one want to showcase a brilliant hospital and raise as much money as possible to help them continue their fantastic work.

What will your donations do?
Wythenshawe hospital prides itself on its brilliant research programmes which your money will help towards. Their research programmes focus on cancer and lung disease as well as cardiovascular, wound management and medical education.

The money will also contribute to improving services provided by the hospital, and also with additional equipment to enhance patient care.

Final Words
I just want to say thank you in advance for your donations. Like I say, no matter how big or how small your donation is, I just want you to know that both me and my family appreciate it and I’m sure the hospital will too.

Whether I raise five or five hundred pounds, I know this money will make a difference to the lives of people just like my grandad and that's the reason I'm doing this.

I also want to say a big thank you to everyone at Wythenshawe hospital for their fantastic treatment and care.

Please give as much or as little as you can, and if you can please post, tweet, facebook etc. this blog or my Just Giving page that would be great.

You can donate here http://www.justgiving.com/natalie-whitehouse or alternatively just give it me in person. Thank you so very much, you're all brilliant.


If you want to know more about the hospital: http://www.nhs.uk/Services/hospitals/Overview/DefaultView.aspx?id=RM202

If you want to know more about the trust and where your donations will go: http://www.uhsm.nhs.uk/AboutUs/Pages/AboutUs.aspx

Watch This Space..

I’ve always wanted to do something for charity. Not something I was obliged to get involved with at school or sixth form, but something off my own back that I raised the money for, no matter how little or how much, so I knew that I’d done something positive for an organisation that helps so many people.

I could have chosen something like a skydive, it looks scary as hell and I can’t imagine how brave you have to be to do it.

But I love adrenaline rushes. So I thought, maybe I’d actually enjoy it. Not the whole staring-out-of-the-plane-shit-scared bit, that moment just before the jump, but when you’re actually in free-fall in the air… it must be incredible. Really, really terrifying, but incredible all the same.

Basically, I wanted to do something that I really knew I wouldn’t like. Because I feel for me, personally, it will be a great challenge to do something that will take the utmost willpower and determination.

So (deep breaths) I’ve decided to go sober for the entire month of January.

Now, you may think that I’m completely mad comparing that to something like a skydive, but hear me out…

Anyone who knows me will know how much I like a drink. I am in no way an alcoholic (despite what my parents may tell you) I’m just your average 20-year-old student, living in a city where it’s cheap as anything to go on a night out. Oh, and peer pressure times a thousand!

As well as that I am of course a regular at the football; Saturday drinking is just what I do, especially watching Birmingham play!

The idea first came to me when I heard about ‘go sober for October.’ I decided not to do it because of my birthday, however in hindsight staying sober would have been the better idea…

But the thought still stayed in my mind. And today at the gym, on the treadmill, I had a moment of clarity where, when I normally stop running and start to slow it down, I whacked the speed up and kept on running.

I thought, if I can do something as little as this because it will make just a slight difference to my body, why can’t I do something big to make a difference to people’s lives. And so the idea came to the forefront of my mind again and I decided then and there to go for it.

So, I’m yet to pick a charity; however it will probably be a cancer charity (primarily lung cancer) or the hospital in Manchester that recently helped my granddad after he had lung cancer and had to have operations.

I hope to choose the charity as soon as possible and then set up an online page for donations and I’d really appreciate it if you could donate, no matter how big or how small.

For anyone who knows me, they’ll know this will be a big challenge for me, but something I am more than happy to do if it means even just a small amount of money can be raised for people who work hard to make this world a better place.