To date, £420,000 has been raised for the official charity
Save The Children, far exceeding the original target, due to the outstanding efforts of all concerned. The activities have been diverse to say the least :
Go-kart racing, bike rides, raffles, lunches, fund raising dinners and balls are among some of the saner events undertaken at one end of the scale, with horizontal bungy-jumping, group abseils and head shaving at the other.

There are many more fundraising activities underway as you read this and money is coming in all the time according to Judi Rudolf of Save the Children. BT leggers, who as part of their contract for taking part in the race agreed to raise money for the official charity, are responsible for raising £164, 232.32 so far.

Here are just a couple of examples of how the money is being spent:

16 year old Tricia felt desperate. Being bullied at school, her mother and father were rowing and she and her mother were not getting on. She had attempted suicide several times. SCF runs the Possilpark Befriending Project in Glasgow, which provided Tricia with a befriender, to help her start to believe in herself again. 'Having someone to talk to is important and can make all the difference'. With active encouragement from her befriender, Tricia found herself a job and is planning her future.

12 year old Lemoon is for 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, crammed behind a loom with 3 other boys, weaving carpets. Poor light, cramped conditions and accidents all take their toll. The boys are forced to work because their families are so poor, but it costs their education and health. Through the Tharparkar Rural Development Project SCF is working to release children from this bondage by helping their parents to earn money. It's paying off too - Lemoon and some of his friends are now able to go to school.

A huge THANK YOU from the Save the Children for all the hard work and effort by everyone connected to the BT Global Challenge. The money raised really does make a difference to the lives of children around the world.

Written by Robin Haynes, BT Global Challenge Project and Judi Rudolf, Save the Children Fund. Special thanks to Judi for her valued input.

Written by Robin Haynes, BT Global Challenge Project and Judi Rudolf, Save the Children Fund.
Special thanks to Judi for her valued input.