A few weeks ago I decided to go all old school and I wrote a couple of actual real life letters. You remember? Like we did in the olden days, with embossed cream Basildon Bond paper and a fountain pen. Well I typed them actually and printed them out, but I did pop them in the post… old school! I attempted to write them with a pen as per the actual olden days but realised that my handwriting is absolutely dreadful. I am putting that on the ‘to do’ list, reteaching myself to write more than a couple of lines, consistently, with correctly formed digits and a certain level of style. Jeanne Hayes I might come knocking on your door, as your handwriting is immaculate. Anyway the recipients of these letters are world famous sports men and women, inspirational women and men at the top of their game, who are either local, or have some kind of connection to me or East Cheshire. I wasn’t really actually expecting much response and to be honest I did not get much.
Only one but oh my goodness what an incredible response.
Dame Sarah Storey you are an absolute legend. A local hero and a genuinely lovely lady.
Arguably the most versatile British athlete in the history of the Paralympics – and, as of 2016, the most successful in the modern era – Dame Sarah Storey was a swimmer at four Paralympic Games before switching to cycling in 2005. Since making the career move, Sarah added to her six swimming gold medals, a further nine cycling golds at the Paralympics of 2008, 2012 and 2016, bettering the record of Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Dave Roberts. Sarah has also competed for England at the Commonwealth Games and won medals at UCI Track Cycling World Cup meetings with the able-bodied squad. She also holds more than 140 national titles, 73 world records, 24 World Championship titles, 21 European titles and 7 World Cup titles.
So Sarah replied to me, not just to fob me off, but with a genuine offer of help, and a donation of one of her actual cycling skins to be auctioned at the East Cheshire Winter Ball on Friday 30th November 2018.
So here I am on Tuesday….. 3 days to go until the ball with an absolute gem of an auction prize but to be honest it’s in a carrier bag. So how am I going to turn it into the gem that it is. That’s where yet more lovely local people come to my aid.
Frances and Simon McDonnell from Art Graphics that’s how! The fabulous framers, designers and printers who are based in the Adelphi Mill, Bollington are going to professionally frame Sarah’s signed cycling skins, super speedy just like Sarah! It will be ready in time for the auction and not only that.
They are doing it totally gratis… free.. no charge.
All in aid of East Cheshire Hospice @ Home
Local people are just incredible.
Dream It Now Do It 