Mind? I don’t mind…

Many readers probably won’t be aware that this pieblog supports the mental health charity Mind.  This is likely to be because this fact has had a low profile so far this year as a strategic decision on my part. And another reason is that I appear to have attracted a bunch of new readers recently and, unless they’ve been really avid and enthusiastic, they can’t be expected to know things like this.

Anyway, welcome to the blog to the new readers and I hope you’ll stick around.

And – I get to the point eventually – it’s 1st March and the first day of spring (possibly why the knipetowers battlements are dusted with ice just now) and it’s time to relaunch the Mind initiative.

The rules are simple:

I don’t ask for sponsors. People who cough up spondoolies do it because they get something out of it. In the past I’ve resold gear given to me as part of a review deal (I ask for two items of gear – one to use and one to sell). Organisations have had little plugs for their publicity campaigns in return for a small but bijoux fee and stuff like that. I will consider requests, although offers to write blogposts from companies selling fashion pullovers or whatever get rejected.

Finally, for anybody who really wants to donate, there’s a virgin money-giving page which is last year’s page with a new target amount and a new closing date.

Last year, instead of taking part in the TGO challenge, I plonked myself in various places where I knew TGO challengers would be passing, and I provided coffee, beer, bacon, chocolate cake, sympathy…. you get the picture – and they gave me money. This raised £370 and I got a nice little jolly in the process. This was Cafe Akto – and a lot of fun for yours truly.

But I’m not doing that this year!

Click the  here or anywhere on the logo below to visit the money giving page to have a look, or to leave any odd bits of cash you might have lying about…  If you want something in exchange for the cash then you’ll just have to say what it is you want…

Service will resume, more or less as normal quite shortly – I’m off up Baldersdale tomorrow on a reccy for a Durham County Council guided walk which happens on Wednesday. It’ll be fun. It’ll be cold. It’ll be Quite A Long Way. Lucky is coming too.