Raising funds for brake

Today was the day. I went Ape in Aberfoyle today. The adrenalin is still pumping!! It was a high wire adventure course high up in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park overlooking Aberfoyle. The course was made up of tarzan swings, various rope bridges, rope ladders and lots of zip slides. It has the longest zip slide in the UK! I put on my harness and was shown a quick safety brief where it was made very clear that the consequences of not following the simple instructions could be lethal! It was mentioned that 2 people had fallen from a course after not following the safety precautions. After the safety brief I took a lengthy zip slide to the other side of the forest where the course begun here the instructor made sure I knew what I was doing and I was competent to continue. From there, I went on to site 2 where I was on my own but the instructors were in plain view and there was other people round about. Each site finished with a zip slide of increasing length and starting from increasing heights. This course has 2 points where there are ‘extreme’ options – (all areas are coloured coded black being the hardest which I was brave enough to take. One extreme option is a bungee jump swing into cargo net (about 40’ away) Another is navigating across 6 suspended stirrups – 3 offset on either side – with only the suspending stirrup ropes to hold! This is followed by two diagonal logs which tilt up slightly and sway as you step on to them. Each obstacle in every site is different and there is even one for crawling through –this is split into 3 sections as you sway above the forest floor!
The long zip slide to finish was brilliant. I left the platform without being able to see the landing area and flew over a magnificent waterfall, then through the trees where there was a stunning view of the valley. Although my eyes were really watering and couldn't feel my cheeks cause it was so cold I made it to the end and was awarded my certificate.
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I would like to say thank you to everyone who has sponsored me as you have all helped me exceed my target of £500.00 and I have so far raised £648.00 for Brake which is terrific. Coming to terms with the loss of a loved one as most of you will know is very hard but loosing someone so young with their life full ahead of them has been the toughest thing I have had to go through. When things like this happen you have no idea what to do. The more information you can get the better as it relieves some of the worry. Traffic is one of the biggest killers of children and young people. Young people are far more likely to be killed on the road than older people, meaning road deaths are often a tragic waste of young life. This is mainly due to young/underage and inexperienced drivers taking horrendous risks on the road when behind the wheel, often killing their young passengers at the same time. Brake is a national road safety charity that works to stop death and injury on UK roads and to support people who have been bereaved or injured by a road crash. Brake runs Road Safety Week, a national awareness-raising initiative in schools, companies and communities, conducts research into the cause of crashes to inform the government and road users, runs an education service for employers to teach them about their responsibilities for safety when running fleets of vehicles and shouts loudly in the media about the importance of road safety to influence drivers to take more care. I may have lost someone very dear to me but I can help save hundreds more and you have all helped. Blair died a year ago in a horrific road traffic accident. The gap in my life is unbearable and I still don’t think I’ve come to terms with the reality of never seeing my brother again.
Doing this zip slide and raising money for charity is my way of doing something and of celebrating Blair’s life.
If the money I raise can stop just one family going through the heartache that we have, then it will all be worthwhile. It could be a better road or something as simple as a child looking left and right before crossing a road. Road safety is essential if we are to stop people dying so needlessly.

Well done darling,
it seemed a small price for us to do but in the long run I hope it is worth it....you are cetainly a brave woman
and no one can take that away from you.
It is all still raw for you on the loss of ur brother,,,,,
IT is now 15 years since i lost my son (under totally different circunstances) and i dont think you ever get over it you just learn to live with it.
But i know that everyone is so proud of you.
x x x x x x x x x

Fiona. Well done girl. I know ye still think about Blair every day, and thats what makes stuff like this so special. You know i'm involved in alot of charity work aswell, and i know how you feel. THe reason it feels so rewarding is because it's so close to your heart. Well done!

Thanks guys Luv you all xxx

Well done Fee. XX

Indeed,

Well done Fee,

cheers

good on ya...xoxoxo

Brilliant Fiona, you are one brave Lassie? I know you were all secure, but I dont think you would have got me up there, Dont know about tears running down my cheeks?

How you have managed to get through since that day when you heard the news I dont know, it takes courage to face the day and you have it a thousand fold, well done.xx

Thanks granda

I know you and Titch chatted a lot to and you still call him your grandson. He will always love you as much as I do I may not be able to add any more memories but I have so many happy ones to hold on to and I believe he is still close. The family has all been strong and the fact we haven't stopped talking about him helps. He was 18 last July and my dad got helium balloons with 18 on them and wrote happy birthday son on them and let them go right up to the sky.

Fee.....well done love....

I'm not much good when it comes to saying the right things, but believe me when I say that I'm well proud of you.

And doing what you've done, your brother is as well. I'm not much of a religious person, but I do believe that there has to be a bigger point to it all, and as such, your brother is watching over you all the time.

Well done Fee.

Thanks Ron

xx

Hi guys,



I just thought I would give you a little update. I today got an e-mail off the BrakeCare Officer Lorraine Hart. This is what it says:-



Hi Fiona!



Well done on completing your Go Ape course and for being brave enough to tackle the black zones - it sounds thrilling and more than just a little bit scary! It is such an achievement taking part in something that is out with your comfort zone and it sounds like you're a bit of an adrenalin junkie now!



You have raised a fantastic amount for Brake so thank you so much for all of your hard work, every penny you have raised will go towards caring for victims and families of road crashes and to help reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads. I know that Brake is very close to your heart and we are delighted that you have chosen to raise money for us.



We are trying to build up our volunteer network in Scotland and I wondered whether you would be interested in doing some other volunteering roles with us? We have lots of volunteering opportunities available in Scotland from speaking with police officers and training them on the BrakeCare literature to being a media voice for us. It is entirely up to you and you would decide whether you want to do something a couple of times a year for us or a couple of times a month! If you are interested then please do let me know and I can send out the relevant forms.



I will send you out an official Brake certificate to confirm that you have raised a fantastic amount of money for us so just let me know when you have had a chance to collect everything. If it's okay with you we will also put your picture and your story onto our website, this is under reconstruction at the moment so it will probably take a month or so for this to happen!



Big thanks again and well done!



Lorraine.

Just Three words then Fiona. GO FOR IT it is something close to your heart, you have the enthusiasm, you certainly can talk?(no comment) you have the ability to "get through" to people, and I personally think
you would be an asset to Brake (okay I am biased)
Trouble is? when would you fit it in, as i have said to you before, if you were going in circles at times you would disappear up your own??
Think about it carefully, but I think you would be a brilliant ambassador

Fiona. Two words, do it. I love what i do and it gives you an enormous sense of pride at the end of the day. It also lets you konw that you have helped people who are in the same boat as you, and may be feeling the same. Seriously = it's one of the best things you can ever do.

Fiona I really admire you for what you have done. 30 years ago I would have done the same and although my heart might still want to do such a feat, my body and age tells me - "Sorry, leave it to the young ones"
Christine and I have other ways in which we give money on an annual basis to a well known charity.

As for the request to help the charity further then only you know the answer, but as Dia said GO FOR IT if it is really something dear to you - and I believe that it is.

Good on ye', what more can I say?