Heard The Civil Wars on Jools Holland a few weeks back, they were amazing and were one of those bands that I instantly needed to hear more of. Incredible harmonies and soulful tunes, their album – Barton Hollow, is just fantastic. It was a post from the incredibly talented David McClelland that alerted me to this video of their stunning cover of Billie Jean – Enjoy. And take a look at David’s portfolio if you get a moment.
So it’s been a couple of months since my fight night and the end of the fundraising for Aware Defeat Depression. I finally got round to getting the DVD from the night’s proceeding s and have managed to get my fight up on YouTube for your enjoyment.
Once again, many thanks to all of you who helped me raise over £1500 for this great charity. It scared me, challenged me, pushed me further than I thought possible. What an experience!
If you want to get involved, there is still a last minute chance to join The Fight II which commences on Tuesday 6th September. Check out www.facebook.com/thefightbelfast for full details. It’s a life changer, beware!
The last shuttle mission patch. Remember them all. They all took risks. And remember the 14 who never made it home. Good luck to all on STS-135 departing earth this afternoon.
STS-135 Mission Patch
A little piece of me will die when Atlantis touches down and completes the final mission of the shuttle program. It has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. God speed.
Ready for a little more contact this week...
As you may know, I am participating in The Fight – a white collar boxing event in June. The first week of training is over, and a million jabs later and with aching arms and calf muscles, I am starting week 2. The gym itself is exactly as you would imagine, hot, sweaty, a ring in the middle of a tight room and 8 bags around the outside. The participants are good craic and the banter is great but it’s evident that people are sizing each other up and not wanting to get too friendly, safe in the knowledge that it will be 1 on 1 come the 23rd of June and they will be coming to hit you, humiliate you and hopefully beat you. You can rest assured that everyone is having these thoughts. Including me.
This week sees a lot more sparring and the introduction of more bag and pad work. I can’t wait. I have cut my early morning runs from 3 to 2 to allow for the intensity of the Tuesday and Thursday evening training. It’s hard work, very intense and increasingly physical.
I know a lot of you have already given very generously to support my sponsorship cause – Aware Defeat Depression – but I am going to be pushing those of you who haven’t to try and get involved. Depression is a killer, have no doubt about it. It touches people’s lives all the time. Talking to people in the last few weeks, it’s evident just how many people have a story. From family members, post-natal depression, colleagues off ill, suicide attempts and sadly deaths. It has been pretty moving. The main thing that has come across is that people don’t talk about it, don’t seek help and don’t know where to turn.
This is where the work of an organisation such as Aware Defeat Depression comes in. In approximately 75% of all suicides, depression is cited as a factor. There were 260 deaths by suicide in 2009, which averages as 5 per week. Between January and September 2010 in NI there were 234 deaths by suicide, averaging 6.5 per week. The suicide rate in NI for males is 3.5 times higher than for females. These statistics make for shocking reading. By supporting Aware Defeat Depression, you can help lower the number of deaths.
By supporting this cause, you can help make a difference. Change a life today.
Click on http://www.justgiving.com/nicoboxing and do what you can.
