I'm putting my 40 year frame through a half marathon in October, and I thought it was only fair to do it for a good cause. So which one of the needy charities did I pick?
The idea for my chosen charity, came at the end of my recent birthday party, when (slightly inebriated) I was chatting to my mate Jason, about 1970s celebrities, (Frank Bough, Dicky Davies etc), when he promptly put down his glass and announced wide eyed.
'Rob, recharge the glasses - we must make a toast.'
Not needing much encouragement, I sloshed a generous measure of scotch in each glass, and we raised them high.
'To Sir Richard Stilgoe!' intoned Jason
We clinked glasses, toasted good Sir Richard and knocked the whisky down the hatch.
It was only in the cold light of day, with a fiery hangover that I thought about that toast. 'Sir' Richard Stilgoe?
Richard Stilgoe was the resident pianist on Nationwide, the 1970s topical magazine show. A merry minstrel, able to knock out a witty ditty in a minute's notice. In addition he's also penned lyrics for West End musicals, and hosted Finders Keepers, a childrens' game show in the 80s for swotty kids based on 'Battleships' (Alpha Four!). All jolly clever stuff - but does it merit being made a Knight of the Realm?
Well, Mr Stilgoe was knighted for his charitable services - in particular his work with the Orpheus Centre. Orpheus? Wasn't he the legendary poet and musician of ancient Greek myth, who had a can-can tune written in his honour? Intigued, I decided to find out more...
The Orpheus centre was founded in Godstone, Surrey by Richard Stilgoe back in 1998.
It is a registered charity, and enables young adults with learning/physical disabilities to learn performance arts (dance, drama etc) with productions that help promote confidence and self esteem.The students are also taught life and employment skills to live independently. This seemed a worthy cause, so I e-mailed Orpheus, and (after a cheery reply), a sponsorship pack, dropped through the letter box two days later.
No going back now - best start getting some training in for October!
For more information about the Orpheus Centre and forthcoming students' productions, visit their web site.
http://www.orpheus.org.uk/
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