After four months of increasing rabid awareness and fundraising for the Champions cause, we - The Zeiss Yorkshire Terriers - are finally on our way to the bird-filled Negev, leaving a sub-zero Yorkshire pummelled by gale force winds and shrouded in drifting snow; if I said I was sorry to be leaving, well, let's just say that I won't be too down-hearted scanning for larks and Wheatears in the golden middle-eastern sunshine come Monday morning....
It's been a trip and half to get here. Continuing the wintry theme, to say our campaign (through both word-spreading and tin-shaking) has snowballed would be an understatement - to the point where we leave our northern shores feeling genuinely humbled and blown away by the support of you, our wider community, in support of our birds as they battle through the killing fields along the Mediterranean flyways.
When I was originally planning what we might achieve and how we might achieve it back in autumn last year, I had a lofty but pursuable target of £10,000 in mind. Our first target was to hit the baseline, set for all teams - £3,700 (or $5,000) - but to stay focused on the importance of awareness raising, shining a spotlight on the illegal massacre throughout the flyway. Our second target was to double it, and our third was to aim for the magical five figures. Then, we thought screw it - how about a final, record-shattering £15K? As I write on the morning of 18th March, our total stands at:
So what happens now? We're heading out there to partake in the Champions week of events, which will further spotlight the cause and bring the 30 teams together, smack bang in the epicentre of one of the world's most important and exhilarating migration superhighways. The week includes, of course, the actual bird race - 24 hours in the Negev, trying to find as many species as possible before keeling over - but for us, that's always been an entertaining distraction. Now, it's all about the birds - enjoying them, celebrating them, and highlighting why we've tried so hard to make a genuine, positive impact over these last few months.
We're not done yet..... if you're one of those fine people who has already contributed - thank you so much! If you're one of those good people who can spare a fiver or a tenner (or more), but haven't got around to doing so yet - well, why not help us set new records in the next few days, before the curtain comes down? If you can spare anything, click here, it only takes a minute - and thank you: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/yorkshire-terriers-2
More to follow, and keep checking our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds - see you on the other side!
