This year, we have been very glad to welcome on board a brand new nsif champion, Matthew Walker. Matthew put a tremendous amount of effort and passion into his fundraising which was evident from his repeat appearances on BBC Radio Bristol raising awareness for nsif and talking about his challenge!
Matthew took on the following challenges throughout 2016:\r\n
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- One year no beer
- Bournemouth Marathon
- Bristol Half Marathon
- Bristol 10k
- Bradley Stoke 10k
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\r\nWe are thrilled to say that Matthew raised a total of £1,596.13, including Gift Aid and an incredibly generous donation from the Music Sales Trust.
We caught up with Matthew and asked him a few questions, here is what he had to say about his experience fundraising for us.
1. What made you decide to get involved with nsif?
I set myself one objective for finding the right charity before hitting any concrete. I had to see something of myself in the charity, their ideologies and ambitions. Conducting pioneering work in research to develop and understand a curable practice was a massive draw: I love that ambition. On another note, the branding of nsif matched quite closely to that of the Bournemouth Marathon, so my OCD was injected with ease.
2. Why running challenges?
Before my accident in 2002 and the second in 2003, I was a keen footballer, sprinter and athletics participant – always being involved in contact sports from a young age. With contact sports no longer available to me, I adjusted my knowledge of sprinting to that of long distance running with a few local events around the Bristol area, before then attempting a Marathon. Over the course of 13 years, I had gathered enough experience to be able to realistically accept a marathon as a legitimate benchmark for fundraising. Running as an activity is free and very challenging – it offers a good balance of hurdle and reward, plus running gear always looks ‘kewl’.
3. Do you have a best moment?
The entire fundraising campaign has been filled with ‘moments’, some more memorable than others. My best moment would be that of being able to understand my injury and channel that emotion as energy in which to encourage others to do something they’ll never forget and give something back.\r\n
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- Best moment = that epiphany
- Worst moment = mile 21 to 26.1 (oh the pain…)
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\r\n4. What advice would you give to anyone who was considering taking on a fundraising challenge?
Enjoy the process and allow the fundraising to grow. Don’t force it. Be patient. Create an enjoyable experience for those sponsoring and supporting. Be quirky and have fun.
Thank you for all of your hard work Matthew, we will miss your energy and enthusiasm!