Almost time to leave

I cannot believe that 10 whole months have passed since the conception of this idea. We are now all ready and waiting to set off and get going.
So far we have raised around £23,000 we will carry on collecting until the week before christmas hopefully we will get £30,000 for our wonderful charity.
Eurotunnel have kindly donated tickets for Cpl Andy Reid and James Ryan both injured in Afghanistan and coming to France to lay wreaths.
We will have photos and film streamed onto the internet every night from Mailly Maillet and on Saturday night we will hold the first Big Curry on the Somme.Entertainment by Miss cookie Mon Star. I would like to thank everyone who has supported us at wenches in trenches
Thank You

Ready for the Off

I havnt been a good blogger I am so busy but we are now only 1 week away from our great adventure. We have had a drop out rate of about 20 per cent so thats not too bad. Everything is in place I have had a dozen nervous breakdowns I have wanted to run away so many times but having committed myself to this great big project I must finish it. We seem to have raised about £20,000 with much more to come in once we complete the walk. It will be cold and probably wet once we are over there but my ladies are a stoic lot and a bit of weather wont stop them.Once this walk is done I will put a lot of fab pictures on here plus we will have talking heads for you to watch and listen to.

Pirates of the currybean and more

Monday night we had our curry night and made £400 not a fortune but money to go into our coffers for wenches. Yesterday was a nice day we recieved 100 dog tags free of charge from Top Range outdoor clothing and a big long phone call from the Daily express with an invite to write 10 paragraphs about the walk. So its all done and we shall see what comes of it. I am now moving house and wont be blogging for about a week.

Two in one day

Golly gosh 2 posts in one day what am I thinking of? well we have our Big Curry so wanting to be a good citizen I ordered a big load of meat from a local family butchers, why give corporations our hard earned cash? 2pm it hadnt arrived, 3pm they said he has it on the van and it just coming out with it. 4pm all phones turned off including drivers mobile.
ergo- saturday night spent searching the internet and making appeal on local radio for a butcher willing to open tomorrow sunday to sell me enough beef to do the curry. As for the original butcher well after 15years he has lost my custom forever. They wonder why small shopkeepers are closing at a rate of knots Grrrrr

Bad blogger

Bad Blogger is to be my new name haha I just have no time so very sorry slap my legs. Right what have I to tell you? well at last our admin document is finished and ready to go out, I might go to Fallinbostel Germany to the camp with Miss Cookie Monstar who is performing for the troops it will be so much fun.Wonderful P&O Ferries have donated over £2,000 worth of travel to us well done P&O and thank you. Top of the Range clothing and survival gear from Tadcaster have supplied us with 100 dog tags which I will get stamped with wenches 2011 all our ladies will get them on the conclusion of the walk.
I will be moving next week to the house on the beach mmmm
I only have lavatories on my mind now as I still need to hear back from the portaloo hire company in france.
Now to raise a lot of money as time is getting short.

Im Back

Sorry I have had no time to blog for almost a month, and what a month it has been. I have had days when i never wanted to hear the words wenches in trenches again I hated the french with a vengeance for at least 2 weeks out of the last 4 what a race of well! I dont know what they are but they are NOT normal thats for sure.No wonder we had to go and kick the invaders out for them TWICE.
Maybe we should not have bothered.
Anyway thats all yesterdays news todays news is admin order almost ready it will go out in the next few days. P&O are looking hopeful. We still need one more mini bus bus its just around the corner I can smell it.

On a lighter note I have just made some wonderful chilled soup to eat on this hot day.

Friday

I would love everyday to be like this day has been. The weather is hot and breezy I went to Hayle to meet Bernadette and Richard along with their beautiful dog Benjie. We went up to Gwithian to surf action and for them to meet some of the guys there. After a light lunch I headed home. I have loved today it was so stress free and I was with people I really really liked. Thanks for coming guys

Happy Day

Went for lunch with Suzanna to the Tolcarne Inn it was so nice we really enjoyed our day out. When I got home I switched my computer on and there was the email I have been waiting for for weeks for. The mayor of Mailly Maillet said he is waiting to welcome me and my ladies to his village in October. Its great to get his endorsement at long last. I have invited him and his family to our Big Curry on the Somme on the saturday night of the walk. I am so happy happy happy it is such a big weight off my mind.

Sad day in the west country

I wasnt going to blog today but feel I have to. We here in Penzance celebrate if thats the word Armed forces day in July not June like the rest of the world, this is because the town celebrates a pagan festival on the said weekend. Not an ancient festival but one dreamed up 21 years ago by one of the ageing hippies who seem to control our social lives in Penzance they have their nasty fingers and hairy jumpers in every available pie.

Fab Friday

I always love Fridays I go to the office to deal with any mail that might have come in then I go to McDonalds and get a Mcmuffin and a coffee.
Then the highlight of my week at Gwithian beach I meet everyone from Surf action and listen to how their week  has been I talk about my week as well.
The mix is wonderful there we have guys with PTSD
Combat vets with amputations
over 50s with health problems in fact all types and they are all enjoying their Fridays as well these days. Surf action is a charity who take people surfing and do beach activities they are a fab organisation run by the delightful Rich and the amazing Russ Pierre. I didnt stay long today but its always worth it as its a good place to network and put our vets in touch with the right people.
Weekend....Sleep.....Pub.........

Thursday the day before Friday

Another fab day lots of stuff happening for us, Im not allowed to say just yet but trust me its great news. Had Suzanna a new volunteer in the office today very pleasant really nice.
Things coming together like nobodies business this week I shall welcome saturday for the rest. Many more phone calls to make yet before today is done so I shall oil my finger and get to it.

wonderful wednesday

At last I have heard back from France and its great news I have got what I wanted and that was a free field in Mailly Maillet to camp all my ladies and soldiers in. Thank you to the Mayor and thank you Jackie Bedford for making this happen. I can now get on with planning in a deeper vein than I have been doing of late. Our admin document will be completed by the end of the month, my battlefield guides and Bernie god love them will be going to do a final recce and tweak the itinery then all that remains is to raise some much needed dosh. I admit a weekend camping in northern France in october is not my idea of heaven but last time I did it in February in the snow so this should be a doddle. Get fundraising people please.

wonderful new add by Tracey our artist and all round good pal  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7gLeDUTuLU&feature=player_embedded

Ruby Tuesday

I wish I was ruby tuesday haha, started early today got the emails done and dusted by 0800hrs leaving me free to do other things like sitting drinking tea with the car park attendant and catching up on village gossip its amazing how much one misses through going to work. Anyway Im up to speed now so I have no need to worry about missing anything.Had a phone call from a Major someone from somewhere so yet another piece of jigsaw is fitted in. If only the French side would get their collective  derrieres into gear. Well many phone calls to make I might blog again later if today turns out to be fantastic if not see you tomorrow as usual.

monday meeting

Left home at 0600hrs got home at 1800hrs. But it was worth it we had a meeting for wenches it was brilliant lots of creases ironed out cracking lunch provided by our Colonels wife.There isnt a lot to say but positive vibes all round. Nice long convo with bernie tonight she sure gets stuff done quickly.
Many emails to send so must get off and get them done.

Roll on Monday

Sundays do my head in most of the time, everywhere is closed and people dont answer their work phones. Its so frustrating as I dont have weekends which suggests I need to get a life - Iv got one honest. I have just had a phone call from Santosh my dear  Gurkah  friend in Folkestone offering to do some fundraising for wenches how very kind of him. My oppo Lynn Hyett had a productive weekend at the Signals reunion Blandford Forum she is fab networker.
Had one email back from france it wasnt what I wanted to hear but hey what can I do about it. Early start tomorrow meeting in plymouth with our Colonel, and Sgt Major Bentley things should be clearer then.

Sunny saturday

well I messed today up royally, Got up had breakfast picked my emails up sitting here in the window sun shining on me it made me feel sleepy so I moved the laptop and myself over to the sofa zzzzzzz 1pm wake up crick in neck nothing done sun disappearing to make way for rain. Local shop thinks I have gone away so sold my saturday paper (the only one I buy as it lasts me 7 days)
I was going to bleach my roots today but think maybe I will leave well alone as they might turn green. I think today is for doing nothing so I will close this machine down and continue tomorrow.

waiting and waiting

Still waiting for my calls from France and maybe one from This Morning which would be great. I would love to be able to tell schofe all about us I think we would get good corporate sponsorship out of it.
This is a tiny blog today as im busy chasing sponsors and mini buses

A Flat Day

I hate days like this when nothing really good happens to push the project forward, Andy Reid rang me and said he had spoken to Dave at the Sun newspaper and he (dave) had said he would do an article for us and also meet us in France to cover the end of the walk. So between Louise from Radio city and Dave hopefully we will get good coverage. Cookie Monstar is hopefully going on This Morning and Loose women that will be a great boost for us. I have been dispensing Guinness and sympathy tonight as my poor old Gareth buried his dad yesterday and returned from wales tonight so that was an excuse to go to the pub for the evening.Roll on Thursday and fingers crossed it brings me the news I am waiting for.

Loving my Tuesday

I have had a lovely day away from wenches and computers oh and phones. Went to my friend Christina's today for lunch and gossip in her fabulous lodge house in the forest. We had a banquet with lots of little ginger cats running around trying to help us eat it all. I met her long lost brother Leslie he was lovely his boyfriend Leon was even lovlier. Anyway back to wenches in trenches tomorrow.

Monday Monday

I love Mondays regardless of what Bob Geldoff told us anyway what does he know. I have had a really flat weekend I just want this project to come together I am so stressed its unbelieveable. Still waiting for emails and calls from France.But nice news from North Hampshire so it all balances out.
The weather here has picked up somewhat so maybe my mood will follow it hopefully.

Rainy sunday

Well I pray the weather isnt like this when we go to France I was imagining this morning what it will be like if it pours with rain and the answer is MISERABLE so if you cant take the rain pull out now before its too late because the walk will go ahead whatever the weather dont forget ladies we are British.
I had a bit of a confidence knock on Saturday re the walk hence no blog but I am  back to normal today. I am just waiting for two pieces of correspondence from France then I will sleep easier.Nice chat with Karen from Belgium last night this is truly becoming an International event. Well must go an cheer my two cycling friend Terry and Matt as they come through my village on a sponsored bike ride.

Nice to be back

Sorry I havnt been blogging I have been so busy with the walk lots to do. We have some good people come on board with us and are getting good publicity. I am tweeting facebooking and generally dreaming about it all. Yesterday I talked to British forces radio about wenches in trenches. Our web site is up and running and getting plenty of hits. I still need at least one more mini bus if anyone out there can help. I bless the day Bernadette offered her help little did I know just how good she really was she knows everyone. Thanks B.
Bed for me as i have stand outside Morrisons store tin rattling tomorrow. Goodnight all you wenches and wench watchers out there.
web address
www.wenchesintrenches.co.uk

Web Site

Our web site is almost ready now and should go online by this coming weekend , all the info and itinery will be on the site and it will be updated weekly. I hope that donators and participants of the walk find it useful as its taken ages to do..I am feeling a bit flat this week I think its because I am just sitting about waiting for coach operators etc to get back to me. Im going to work from home instead of going to the office dont ask me why.

Andy McMenemy

Just a quick on to say many congratulations to Andy who today has completed his 66th marathon in 66 days he has raised a lot of money for ABF The Soldier's Charity and it is also his 50th birthday today. Thank you Andy from all of us your a star

So Busy

I have been too busy to update so sorry about that. Preparations are forging ahead for the walk. Most of the stuff from the Army has now been secured for us thanks to the ladies in Germany. Hopefully our publicist Debs will get the machine turning very soon as we need more sponsors especially for coaches and fuel. Info packs will be going out to all walkers in the next 10 days or so we are still putting them together.
Anyway nearly the weekend and i have got a sore arm (stitches) so I wont be blogging again till next week when we here in Cornwall will be going to Lands End to welcome some guys from the Royal Signals who are cycling from John o Groats to raise money for several military charities including ABF The Soldiers' Charity.
Have a great weekend.

Wicked Wednesday

Oh yes and what a wednesday it has been just nothing but good news and positivity all day long. Everything is coming together like a dream. But Iv got toothache like you wouldnt believe. I spend so much time at the dentist I reckon his wife thinks Im his girlfriend I am always there. Tomorrow its a well deserved day off from blogging and planning and thinking. Im off to let sexy Dr Matt cut a lump out of my arm Hmm dont you wish you could be me for a day? toothache and getting bits cut off me. Haha never mind will be back on friday maybe with exciting news for all you Wenches in Trenches.

Happy Tuesday

Well things are certainly moving on at a pace again, we are being tweeted by loads of people (famous people) we will have a small website up and running this week www.wenchesintrenches.co.uk were we will keep you all updated if I have said all this before then forgive me Im tired and am off to read my new Peter Robinson book in my nice soft bed.

New Week

I love Mondays I always have lots to do at the office and Jeannette and i need to catch up on the gossip from the weekend. So 9am sees me in the coop buying our pain du chocolat for breakfast and our three bean soup for lunch (we need to keep regular). It takes us about an hour to have our brekkie and chat . Today was no different except we put the maps up on the wall. Now when I sit at the desk I see our walk before my eyes. This monday was a day of meetings and many many phone calls. It feels like the walk is kicking in now as our website address was bought and the designer started on it.
Roll on Tuesday more of the same

Day of Rest

At last I stayed in bed till 8am it was heaven then I had tiger bread with loads of Philly on it. I love Sunday so much. I went for lunch with Justine, mikey and Gary it was amazing Italian style lamb, lemon potatoes and a spicy veggy thing then apple pie and clotted cream for pudding. I think I deserved it after the busy week I had last week.
Anyway new week new challenges no doubt. Bring it on thats what Monday is all about.

Saturday was going to be a day off

Mmmm Saturday stay in bed then off to Penzance for a lovely lunch with my friend Justine who has just returned from India. I thought this will be relaxing not a thought of France or wenches in my head. Our friend Moira joined us and half way through our risotto with wild mushrooms and peppers a voice said "tell me about this walk then in France maybe I can raise some money for you" damn and blast I cant resist can I. Risotto forgotten I launch into the tried and tested patter and before my lunch has time to go cold I have a ladies night booked in a local pub and a big curry booked all in the same pub.
Maybe this is a natural way to lose weight if I get interupted I eat less yes it sounds like a plan to me.

Gwithian Beach Today

What a great Friday today was we all met at Gwithian beach Hayle as usual, there was no surf to speak of and it was spitting with rain so the Sunset cafe looked very inviting. I listened a lot while eating and drinking (chocolate) we had a wonderful mix of people there at this weeks beach clinic. I took along a retired colonel who doesnt know what to do with himself now he has no men to command and he cant boss the women about in his life so I thought "ah beach for you Rodders old boy" and a chiropodist who also works in mental health my pal Alex. They both appeared to enjoy being with our motley collection of broken soldiers and stray people who rock up each week. Big Freddie was looking rather glam he was all shiny looking without his walruss moustache.. Russ Pierre and Rich Emerson confirmed that they are definately coming to France to make our film for us so it was worth going just to hear that. I love fridays I watch people being slowly put back together by very energetic guys whose main qualification is that THEY CARE.
Surf Action is a wonderful charity they are small but very very good. I know I keep banging on about them but its my blog and I can so there. Well done dudes another fabulous Friday under your belts.


The pictures were not taken today but a few weeks ago they are of a team building exercise and much merriment.

What we do at ABF on fridays

Down here in darkest Cornwall we do something completely different on Fridays. We go to Gwithian beach with another charity called surf action.

.Surf action helps ex soldiers and serving soldiers who have PTSD or have been injured in combat, it is wonderful to see big able bodied men carrying lads who have lost legs etc into the surf they have such a fab time. This little charity is so close to my heart a they do so much good and pick up a lot of the slack left by others. 2 members of Surf Action will be coming to France with us to photgraph and film our event and also to walk for their own charity splitting the proceeds with ABF I believe that we should all help each other. Take a look at the video and make your own mind up
   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=685qaQR7dCI

Excited

Everyone is getting revved up for fundraising its only 20 weeks till we go to France. I have just spoken to Claire Smith  who is coordinating the Merseyside girls she has a meeting tomorrow with her fundraisers. Lynn Hyett from Portsmouth is the organised one of the lot of us her head is buzzing with ideas. Sharon Burton in Germany is a wonder child she has just organised the whole German contingent.I just dont sleep I lie in bed and think myself round in circles.

But when I think about what and who we spend the money on its all worthwhile. Claires fiancee Andy Reid was injusred in Afghanistan and is a triple amputee we helped Andy and Claire to live in their house by paying for the doors and floors to be modified to meet Andy's needs.What better way to spend your money. We owe our armed forces a huge debt of gratitude and if the way we can repay it is by helping when they need it then its all worth our while going that extra mile to help them.

More pics of the Somme walk

A few more pics so that the girls have a good idea of what kind of terrain to expect in France

some pictures of where we will be walking

Here are some pics of where we will be doing our walk, we decided that we will lay a few wreaths and poppy crosses in the military cemeteries that we pass on the way, thus remembering the old whilst helping the young men of today.

Miss Cookie Monstar

Miss Cookie Monstar is a well known British drag artiste and is the new forces sweetheart. Cookie will be joining us on our walk.
http://cde.cerosmedia.com/1F4dc172b709bc7012.cde

I dont seem to think of anything else at the moment

The idea took off big time everyone I mentioned wenches to seemed to grab it. Eventually I had around 100 ladies keen to take part. Let the logistic nightmare begin. Its a hell of a difference arranging for 3 people to go to France rather than 100. The phone lines are at smoking point between here and portsmouth. I drove to Portsmouth for a meeting with my colleague Lynn Hyett and Ben Bentley from ABF. We sorted a lot of stuff out ironed creases out etc. I drove back to cornwall more determined than ever that wenches in trenches was going to go ahead. I send a small description of what we intended doing to our head office in London and it was duly posted on our website. WOW within half a day I had around 50 emails from ladies all over Europe. One of these ladies was Sharon whose husband is stationed at Fallingbostel. She is a dream come true she has fabulous contacts and has totally arranged the German end of this walk (many ladies travelling from Germany to France) along with a field kitchen and army tents.
I get really stressed out and cant sleep more than 3 or 4 hours right now but I am learning to delegate more and Im sure it will level out.

Plotting and Planning

when I spoke to some of my colleagues about the walk we first thought maybe 10 ladies might put themselves forward to raise a bit of money for the charity.I spoke to our Director of  Fundraising here in the South West Colonel Alan Gorcyzska and he thought it a splendid idea. I decided a trip over to France for a quick recce was in order so we set out to have a look at it all. I had just got a brand new car the week before and it needed testing on a nice long run. We drove to Dover from Cornwall about 400 and odd miles crossed by Sea France and drove down to Mailly maillet on the Somme. I had booked us into a B&B via the internet and what a fab place it was Christine the owner spoke wonderful English and was just so accommodating to us. We spent 3 days just driving around plotting the walk and seeing old contacts of mine. The weather was great and we spent a fair bit of time wandering around the cemeteries in the sun making sure that the tommies lying there for 90 years knew that we were there and that we were bringing more to see them in the Autumn. I told Jeannette this is going to be a bugger to plan and it will either work or it wont. Typical Jan said "whatever"
Mmm I though "well in for a penny in for thousands of pounds not just one" yes lets do it.

How it was born

I have always been interested in world war one indeed I studied it as a young girl and visited  the war graves and battlefields many times over the years. Three years ago myself and 2 friends walked the old British front line of 1st July 1916, we got sponsors and raised about £2,000 for the British Legion Poppy Appeal. This year I joined ABF The Soldiers Charity after working for another charity for 3 years. When I saw just how hard people work for ABF I put my thinking cap on and set about wondering how I could raise a lot of money for this worthwhile charity.
I run the ABF Penzance office and have a small fundraising committee who meet once a month and have brainstorming sessions(tea and biscuits) after we had done the usual run of supermarket days and coffee mornings I remembered the walk I had done 3 years ago. I discussed the possiblity of doing it again but on a slightly larger scale. Little did I realise just how many ladies would want to be a "Wench in a Trench"