Hi and thank you for taking a few minutes to read my inaugural blog, which is pre-amble to the blogs I intend to post throughout the fast approaching Italian Job 2011… and who knows, perhaps after that too.
Many of you will know that my personal passion for the past 20+ years has been a motoring event called the Italian Job, which I was in some part responsible for creating way back in 1990. Since then we have traveled every year – with the sole exception of 2010 – in our Minis across Europe with the motto, Raising money for children in a fun way! ringing in our ears. In so doing we (that’s all who have ever participated) have raised and donated over 2 Million pounds to children’s charities across the UK and much further a field too. I have learned a great deal in the last 20 years about fundraising, human nature and our indomitable spirit and dogged determination to apply ourselves to a benevolent cause, with a level of commitment few can question. I am privileged to have been involved with the Italian Job since day one and give what I know is the greatest donation any of us can give to a charitable endeavour…. the gift of time. My circumstances allow me to devote great swathes of time to the organisation of the Italian Job and I have never in all these years regretted one second of it. My gift has enabled many to give and in turn their gifts have enriched the lives of thousands of children, young people and their families in ways we can only dream of. All of us are proud of what we do in equal measure.
This year sees our renaissance after 2010 when due to family reasons, the Italian Job was not run. In 2011 we have fewer teams than we’ve ever had, but I’m excited by the prospect of the next ten days and I’m looking forward to telling you all about it. We’re supporting Variety Club the Children’s Charity and I’m hoping we will be able to give them enough funds to put another Sunshine Coach on the road.
If any participating teams are reading this, then bon voyage and I’ll see you at the start line in Imola in a few days!
