Snow is falling...

12/12/12

NOT REALLY :P There hasn't yet been a drop of snow in Ardrossan, hopefully there will be soon though! I don't really have much to say, but I couldn't miss posting a blog on the 12-12-12! My aunt who works in a salon has given me lots of fantastic things to sell at my next car boot sale... curlers, hairdryers, products, grooming kits...loads and all in fantastic condition! So If you happen to be looking for anything, let me know. I have managed to find and apply to a few more trusts in the past days, so I hope that brings in some more pennies :) I can't believe I have had £1250 from Charitable Trusts, the generosity! In non-fundraising related news, I have a Geek Chic Photo shoot at college tomorrow...can't wait!
20/12/12

Today I got a very generous donation of £20 from Roy, a classmate! I appreciate it so much, for someone I have only just met to donate!

TOTAL £3725

21/12/12

Today I opened fundraising tin #2. It has been in my dads house for several months. There was £30 in it, same as last time! amazing how you can raise money from something you don't even notice, just chuck pennies in now and then. Definitely getting another one!

TOTAL £3755

25/12/12

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you have all had a fantastic day, I have! Can't help but wonder what this time next year will be like. Very excited that it will soon be 2013 and the year of my departure! Have a good one! xx

28/12/12

Live blog! I am currently on route to Glasgow for a Project Trust coffee morning... afternoon? Unfortunately my parents are both working today so neither could come along. However in place of my parents I have...my Brother! And with the Brother comes the Brother's friend and vehicle. Oh goodness. I'm not too sure what to expect because I have no parents with me, but I think it will just be informal conversations about our year overseas. I will report back later but for now I leave you with exactly how I feel in this car! (above)
Several Hours Later
The coffee (hot chocolate) morning (afternoon) was great! It was a bit tricky finding the coffee shop and once I got there I awkwardly hovered about for 20 minutes before plucking up the courage to say HI I'M JASMINE. After I had settled in, my brother bought me a huge hot chocolate (with my money) and shortly left. Best hot chocolate ever, i'm not a coffee person. I met some lovely girls, one is a 8 month volunteer leaving for Namibia in January and the other leaves when I do but for Chile! A member of staff was there as well as 2 returned Guyana volunteers and other volunteers departing when I do. It was very informal, a nice way to swap fundraising ideas, excitement and stories. P.s I got a train home, no need to worry about making it home alive in THAT car in the dark.

29/12/12
 I have a couple of updates where charitable trusts are concerned. I had an email reply from a trust today informing me that they are arranging an interview! This is fantastic however they require all Project Details before the interview (May) unfortunately May is when I receive my Project Details! So I only hope that I receive them before the interview takes place.
 I have also today sent a letter out to another Trust, this one was recommended by Project Trust. After difficulty in finding a mentor (it is the Christmas holidays - no college lecturers) I have finally decided to use my older brother. No where does it say that family members cannot be a monitor. It is not like a reference, just someone to vouch that you will raise the funds and are embarking on a safe project.
 So wish me luck with both of these Trusts!

Time since selection has flown by...

“You make a living by what you earn; you make a life by what you give.” - Winston Churchill

01/12/12

Last Christmas feels like last week and my Selection Course feels like yesterday: Last Christmas was 12 months ago and my selection course was 6 months ago. IT'S CRAZY! I can't believe how fast this year has gone, it's flown by in a breath! Things are back on track, college is going great and i'm looking forward to some Christmas Fairs for some fundraising.
03/12/12
 I went to the Library today to check up on the The Directory of Grant Making Trusts. I have been trying to get it for more than 2 months now and thought I had finally succeeded  when they told me they would order a brand new one for me. I WAS WRONG. They couldn't help me at all today, they simply said there are none and that they can't order me a new one. So no Directory of Grant Making Trusts for me! I'm going to let Project Trust know and see if there is anything else I can do, I don't fancy paying more than £100 to buy it! If you would like to buy me it as a donation, let me know! (hehe) I have raised £1250 from trusts I have found online, but I would really like the book.
 More news from the land of fundraising, I am entering a Poetry Competition! HAHA. I do love writing poems and have entered a couple of competitions before, one even got my poem published! It was about my bunny Ozzy and how peculiar he is. I was about 9.
 This one is a local competition and the Poem needs to have a connection to Ardrossan. I have decided to write about an Old Man that I passed every single day all through Primary and Secondary school, while I was walking home. I'm sure it will bring a tear to the eye and I will upload it here when I am done.
 You are probably thinking, "what the hell does poetry have to do with fundraising?!" I'll tell you. A £1000 cash prize! wooooooooooo. I'm not sure how many people would enter a poetry competition for the small town of Ardrossan so It is definitely worth a try.
 More news, I called up a center about two weeks ago that are having a Christmas fair on Thursday. They told me they would call me back the next day. They didn't. I called up today so see if I still have a stall and they said "oh, sorry we have none left, you are too late" Frustrating. It looks like I won't have any Christmas fundraising events, which I'm quite upset about. I'm going to ask if I can have a cake/card stall in college, hopefully that will happen.
06/12/12
 I have just recieved my earnings from The Dressing Rooms' total sales on the evening of my fashion show: £20. I am very pleased with this as my total is now over £3700! However I did realise that the dressing room made a total of £200... where I only made £135... at MY fashion show! oh well! I don't have much other news, I suppose it has only been three days since I last posted!
 I might be going to Edinburgh on the 15th to meet Peyton, from my selection course! I really hope I can go and If I do i'll have a stall at her Christmas Fair. 19 days to Christmas woooo.

TOTAL £3705

10/12/12

Hello, could anyone reading my blog please like my Facebook fundraising page too :) Need as much awareness as possible of course! http://jasminesyearvolunteeringinsouthafrica.blogspot.co.uk/

Will I make £4000 before Christmas?...

16/11/12

 The fashion show finally pulled together and in the end, raised £115! There wasn't much of a turn out but it was still a great night and everyone enjoyed it. It was nice to see old friends turning up to help too! I definitely raised more than £20 from the raffle, that was my target so i'm very pleased! I have also to go back to The Dressing Room in two weeks to collect 10% of everything they have earned through the people I invited to the fashion show! Lot's of people were buying things and they have the chance to buy from the shop over the next two weeks too. Big Thanks to Megan Taggart, Sarah Morman, Emma McDermot, Jasmine Park and Shelley Lindsay for being my beautiful models! and of course to The Dressing Room for making the evening possible.

 I'm still hoping to have £4000 by Christmas, it feels like a long shot but i'll try!

TOTAL £3555

20/11/12

 I can't believe I am STILL waiting for The Directory of Grant Making Trusts to be available in my local library, argh. I'm finding my Fundraising - College balance to be a little off scale, I've had a difficult block at college and keep forgetting little things I need to do, my mind is in so many places at once! I'm loving fundraising though and I love college so I guess I just need to try harder.

 Gran gave me another bag of 20p's adding up to £10!
24/11/12
Car boot sale today only raised £10! It was very quiet because something bigger was going on elsewhere in the town. It's still £10 though and every little counts! I'm not very sure about what my fundraising event for Christmas will be, I need to pay for the venue but don't really want to so i'm on the hunt for a freebie. I am hoping to hold it in the same pub where I had my fashion show. I might personalize a shirt or something to wear at my car boot sales, no matter how many posters/leaflets I put all around my table people still come along and leave without saying a word about Project Trust and what I'm doing!
 Now to another topic, I love Christmas! I'm not religious but I enjoy the high spirits and the decorations and the sharing of gifts but my mum on the other hand... every year she says "nope, Christmas is cancelled this year!" while she walks around in her black "BAH HUMBUG" Santa hat. In the end she caves in and we have the Christmas tree twinkling away in the corner and the advent calendar waiting to be eaten in the middle of the night. So anyway, I've decided she is going full out this Christmas, chocolates on the tree, extra sweets in the calendar, Holly Wreath on the door, Santa and co. ornaments on the fireplace, stockings pinned below them and don't forget the big Christmas dinner! I bought her a little sparkly owl tree decoration at the car boot sale today, so she can't turn down the tree! I have no idea what my South African Christmas will be like next year, can't even imagine! So that's why I want a big happy Christmas with typical Christmassy things this year!
 Later on this evening. I just wanted to mention that my local school, Ardrossan Academy, the one which I only left last summer, has been completely ignoring me! I have E-mailed the Head Mistress twice and have also sent a printed letter in the post to the school! Now i'm not sure if it's just me, but i'm pretty sure they are required to get back to you. PS: I send the letters months ago, as in, July. Argh. It is quite upsetting really, because when I return from my Gap Year, I might be asked to go along and talk to the school about Project Trust... I would love to... but all I'll be able to think of is "don't count on them for any support!". Maybe they are yet to get back to me... It's just a surprise, I thought they would be of the first to help me out.
 I've been complaining a lot recently... I think it's just college stress... I promise things will get happier!

TOTAL £3575

26/11/12

If you have been following my blog from the beginning, you will know that I won a television in a raffle at one of my car boot sales a while ago. So I was going to hold a competition, with the TV being the raffle prize but unfortunately, not enough people are interested in entering! So instead I am just going to sell the TV, with the money going towards my fundraising.
28/11/12
I SOLD THE TV! I was surprised that it was actually a friend, Haley who bought it! It sold for £80... considering I won the TV in a raffle, I am so happy with that! I'm booking a stall at a Christmas fair for 6th December. I don't think my Christmas fundraising party will happen.

TOTAL £3655

Fashion Show booked, things are going well...

18-10-12

Today everything was finally confirmed with my fashion show, so pleased! The venue can hold over 50 people, so hopefully i'll be able to sell more than 50 tickets which will alone raise £225. I will also be having a raffle as I have some goodies to give away! I'm hoping to raise around £300 from the night, that would be perfect. So here is the completed poster which will hopefully soon be all over the place! Local ladies will be modelling the clothes (from The Dressing Room). I've been surprised at how many people would like to model! I've also managed to raise a further £30 from ebay.. I'm awaiting payments and then I will put it onto my Virgin Money Giving... THIS IS GOING TO BOOST ME TO £2000!! yaaaaaaay. I won't write my new total until it's confirmed. I have a car boot sale this Saturday, a car boot sale next  Saturday and then then Sunday I recieve my cheque from Barony St. Johns! (note from later on this night - Ebay money is now on Virgin Money Giving )

TOTAL - £2000!

20-10-12

I've had my first failure. I hope this doesn't bring on a parade of failures. I've been really excited about this giant and spectacular indoor car boot sale that all of the car booter's rave about... and then the van broke down. So unfortunately I won't be able to make it. I also had to pay for my table via cheque a week ago! So I'm hoping I will get to use this payment for the next car boot sale. I'm so sad. This one was going to be on from 9am until 3pm today! 6 HOURS LONG I COULD HAVE MADE SO MUCH. Oh well.  Everything has been going so well so i'll just see this as a little bump in the road and wait for my next car boot sale (next week). To leave you on a happy note, I made another £15 on Ebay last night! I'm also hoping to hold a fundraising Christmas party in December.

TOTAL £2015

24 -10 -12

 My posts are getting really close together again but there is just so much news!! I JUST GOT ANOTHER CHEQUE! £500! From charitable trust's I have now had 6 negative responses and 4 positives, not a bad balance! £1000 in total from charitable trusts, it is DEFINITELY worth it! I am still waiting for the Directory of Grant Making Trusts to become available in my local library, all trusts I have written to so far have been found online. I have made around £60 on ebay which is great, I'm now picking out the good stuff from my car boot sales to put on Ebay instead, they sell for so much more! I'm really positive about reaching my target now that things are speeding up. I'm hoping to reach it early so I can raise a bit of money for spending money! I was hoping to raise £3000 by the end of November, but now I know i'll raise more than that! I really can't believe how well things are going... it's a shock!

TOTAL £2515

25 - 10 - 12

GUESS WHAT? I got another cheque today! This is the second time that I have recieved a cheque two days in a row. Where is all of this luck coming from?! It was for a big juicy £250. Today is one of those days that I wish time would go faster! I still can't believe this is happening and that this time next year, I'll be in South Africa! wooooooo hooooooo.

TOTAL £2765

28 - 10 - 12

Today I went to Barony St Johns to collect my cheque of... £650!!  I can't thank them enough. They are a local church that I have had no previous connections with and yet they have been so generous! My total is now looking great and i'm hoping to have £4000 by Christmas!!

TOTAL £3415

10 -11 -12

 For those of you that have been reading this from the beginning... I quit Avon!! They were over charging me and under paying me and forever sending me the wrong things. Don't even get me started on the delivery guy who launches the delivery boxes into the house like there's no tomorrow. I'm proud for standing up for myself and quitting. I had ended up loosing money rather than earning it so it's definitely for the best. I handed my customers over to my friend Jasmine (yes Jasmine) so I'm hoping they treat her well and she gets a lot out of it!! I'm now fully focusing on my fundraising. 

 Things have been a little slow since I received my £650 cheque and I don't like the feeling of not getting anywhere! However I did just receive a £15 donation on my VMG so things are still happening slowly but surely. My fashion show is this Thursday, the only thing I'm worried about is not many people turning up! we will see. I received a raffle prize of 2 family day swim passes from the Sea mill Hydro for the Fashion Show (thank you). My fundraising has gone far beyond my expectations, to have reached my March target in November feels so amazing! I am still reading blogs, it's great now that the 2012 volunteers have just settled in at their projects, so I can follow how their year goes and when it's over, mine will begin! 

 I have booked a venue for my Christmas fundraising party! Unfortunately I need to pay for the venue so I'm keeping my eyes open for other options while it's still early.
 Don't think I've mentioned it yet but I have a personnal target of reaching £4000 by Christmas. With my fashion show this week and a fundraising Christmas party It looks possible. I'm sure it's possible if I really try! And even more possible with the help of others so please, pretty please donate straight to Project Trust here http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=JasminesYearToAfrica&faId=227525&isTeam=false :D

 It's crazy when I realize it has been nearly 5 months since my selection course and being selected... In fact 5 months ago today I was settling into backpackers in Oban, ready to leave for Coll the next day...WHERE HAS TIME GONE?! Time has completely flown by! It's a nice feeling. I want time to fly by until I leave... but I want my time in Africa to last forever! (Hopefully I'll still be saying that when I get there.)

 I'll try not to post until after my fashion show. Hopefully next time you hear from me i'll be over the moon with how much money it raised. Fingers crossed :) 

TOTAL £3430

14/11/12

 My four year old sister just decided to inform us that "all African people drink from puddles". When asking "where on earth did you get that from?!" she replied, "My nursery teachers told me". I can't stop thinking about it now... of all the things nursery children could be learning about the world they live in, they get taught nonsense like that! Even worse, Emily is now convinced this is the truth and will be repeating it and repeating it and repeating it.
 Anyway, I think this blog should be about the up's and downs of my fundraising, something I can remember a year from now. So i'm having doubts about my Fashion Show, worrying that not many people are going to turn up! I've estimated about 30 people, which will bring in £135, that's still really good because it hasn't cost me anything to hold.. but I had originally estimated I would raise about £300! I know it's tomorrow so I should just wait and see... but I want to know how it goes... now! It's quite upsetting that the only friends I have coming are models, so they don't pay to get in. I did think more friends would come but oh well :( I will be having a raffle too and have been trying really hard to get some good prizes, so I hope that raises more than £20... but the less people there the less raffle tickets I will sell! Rant over...
 On a more positive note, those that ARE coming have been wonderful. Girls I have never even met have been volunteering to model and help out and that's just amazing and so kind! And my friend Jasmine and her mum have managed to sell around 6 tickets for me which is great, thank you!
15/11/12
I'm so frustrated all I can do is laugh, hahahahaha! The Dressing Room decided to inform me - on the day of my fashion show - that my model's have to be at their shop before 5 to get outfits chosen. I feel so terrible, all of my models have been wonderful and have all planned to be at the venue for 7 and now I've had to change the plans! I just hope they can all still make it :/ I have a really good pile of raffle prizes so there better be a good turn out :( emotions right now: panick, upset, frustrated, feel guilty for my models.

First cheque and hit target early....

26 - 09 - 12

Today I was very lazy, I slept in until around 1ish...which I know is really bad...and I swear usually i'm skipping about waiting for the post!

Anyhoo, I wake up to a letter sitting on top of me and Instantly I felt really nervous... to be honest I expected it to be another negative response from a trust... but then a £300 cheque fell out!! I have my first cheque and i'm so happy!! For some reason I thought i'd be the only person to never recieve a check...ever!! Note to self: stop doubting. This means I have officially beat my November target of £1500, and I'm still waiting on the cheque from Barony St Johns! 

TOTAL - £1618

27 - 09 - 12 

NO WAY! I GOT ANOTHER CHEQUE TODAY! It's crazy, yesterday I was over the moon about getting my first charitable trust cheque, and then I get one the next day! It's for a brilliant £100. Thats £400 easy money in 2 days, crrraaaaazzzzzzyyyyyyy.

TOTAL - £1718

29 - 08 - 12

Car Boot sale raised £31, not bad! I met a lady from South Africa today, thats the second since I started fundraising... small world!  I thought I should brighten up my blog a little with some photos. Heres me making cakes for my car boot, at the car boot and no, I don't always look like that when I smile!

Thought this was quite funny

Loads to sell, my leaflet, yummy cakes and South Africa fruit stickers on my money tin!

30 - 09 - 12

I seem to have news everyday, sorry if it's boring! Well I got paid £50 today for photographing a friends granddaughter, it's going towards my fundraising. And she has very kindly spread the word about my photography so hopefully I'll have a few more shoots to do! I also got £200 from photographing  a wedding 3 weeks ago, so thats £250 raised from my photography! Barony St Johns contacted me, they have already raised £650!!!!! I can''t believe it, at first they hoped to raise around £200!!!! So I will recieve that cheque on the 28th October, when I go by to recieve it and update the congregation on my fundraising. Not bad for a 20 minute presentation! I am officialy 1/3 of the way there :D

TOTAL £1800 

06-10-12

Car boot sale at Episcopal Church, Largs raised £37. I now have my two charitable trust cheques and a fundraising cheque of £456 to send of to PT! Granny Bennett donated a bag of 20ps, adding up to £10... thank you! James from my college class donated £10 to my virgin money giving... please do the same via this link! http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JasminesYearToAfrica

TOTAL £1857

08-10-12

NO WAY. I got another cheque today for £100, amazing!  I am still waiting on The Directory of Grant Making Trusts to become available in my local library, which will hopefully bring in some more cheques! eeeep, £43 away from £2000, I really can't believe ittttttttttttttttt. I will be having a fashion show now, all clothes from The Dressing Room - Saltcoats! I also have local woman modelling :) ! I recently confirmed the venue which is great, It will be at Potters Bar in Stevenston. And it will be on the 15th November! So I am glad I have that to look forward to. I have made a poster, it will change a little when I find out exactly what to put on it but here it is anyway!!(above)

TOTAL £1957

13-10-12

I've been getting lots of donations of items to sell at my car boot sales and on Ebay. The spare room is so full of stuff, you can't walk 2 feet into the room! So last night I sold a vintage 1970's Mah Jong set for £16, not bad! I'm listing a lot more stuff tonight. 

TOTAL £1972

Officially in the Four Digits as I reach £1000....

20-08-12

ONE THOUSAND POUNDS.

Well, One Thousand and Ten Pounds now...I feel like I will make my november target now...I hope so. I really can't believe how fast the money has been coming in. Before I started fundraising I always worried that I would really struggle with it, I've proved myself wrong! Any way...up next! I have a craft fair on Sunday. With family help I have been making cards, felt brooches and also have knitted scarfs and knitted dolls dresses to sell. Hopefully I'll atleast make more than £15, the cost of the table! I think I'll make some cakes/fudge/tablet to go along with my craft items.

TOTAL £1010

26-08-12

Paid £15 for my table at the craft fair today and raised -£10.50 YES THAT WAS A MINUS. Oh well, I guess I'll be sticking to car boot sales! Also had to donate something to the craft fair raffle, so I was giving away a valuable item for free, they certainly should have made that clear BEFORE I went!

31-08-12

The Paisley Daily Express wrote an article, I am very pleased with it! Have a read :) - http://www.paisleydailyexpress.co.uk/renfrewshire-news/local-news-in-renfrewshire/paisley-news/2012/08/17/photography-student-preparing-for-adventure-of-a-lifetime-in-south-africa-87085-31637971/

02-09-12

Today I had a car boot sale in Ardrossan. It raised me £35 but unfortunately £10 had to fill up what I lost from the craft fair and £5 went to the table cost...so I made £20, still happy with that! AND EVEN HAPPIER THAT I WON THE RAFFLE! The prize was a very snazzy LED HD plasma TV. I'm going to sell it on for my fundraising. I am now at a total of £1040, very pleased, £460 away from my November target.

Anna (the reason I found out about Project Trust - couldn't thank her enough) left for Malawi recently, I can't believe when she is finally back I will be leaving, it makes you realize just how long she is away for! As her year ends, mine will only be beginning! I hope she has an amazing time away, it's made me so excited about leaving. (and I've only been fundraising for 2-3 months )

TOTAL £1040

14-09-12

 Hello! I have lot's of news for you! So first of all, I was the photographer for a wedding on Monday 10th, an old friend of my mums was the bride. Instead of a payment, I decided I would like a donation to my Virgin Money Giving instead...and I received one of £200!! Thank you so much Catherine and Stuart, I am so happy you asked me to photograph your wedding. That brings my total up to £1250 with 2 months and 16 days left until my November target of £1500 :D I THINK I'LL MAKE IT, WOOO!

 Next up, I have a car boot sale tomorrow at St.Andrews church AND I'm giving my presentation at St.Baronys church on Sunday! I'm really nervous about it, I've never done anything like this...other than on selection! hehe. Sooo... I'm sure i've mentioned before but again i'll say quickly: every year the church have a harvest project, where they help raise money for a local charity. Well this year Project Trust is that charity and I'm the local connection! Here is an article I wrote for the church newsletter, please have a look! :

http://www.baronystjohns.co.uk/harvest2012 

TOTAL £1250

15-09-12

 Car Boot sale raised £58.50, thats the most yet! Nervous about presentation tomorrow... going to go over my power point!

TOTAL £1308.50

21 - 09 - 12

 GUESS WHOS ON 3TFM RADIO TODAY ? has anyone ever heard of 3TFM radio? answers - me and no.

 3TFM is a radio station local to me, Three Towns Fm (Ardrossan Saltcoats and Stevenston) I will be on around 12, just being quizzed about what I'm doing with fundraising, how its going, all things Project Trust etc.

 It is strange that I hate talking in front of people (any people) and in the past week I've given a presentation to over 30 people and i'll be on live radio.....eeeeeeeeeeeeee!

 Here is the link to 3TFMS website, where you can listen online. I'm counting on no one seeing this until it's over :P http://www.3tfm.org/

 Just wanted to mention how i'm getting on with charitable trusts. Well, i've been searching on Guide Star online, from there I found around 20 suitable trusts and posted off a letter with my leaflet to each. I found a .further 20 through general searching on the web and through other people, so also sent off to those. I am now currently waiting on the "Directory of Grant Making Trusts" to arrive at my local library for me, hopefully I will find a lot more in there! I have so far recieved five responses, all negative! On selection we were warned that the first replies would most likely be negative so I'm just holding on for a positive. I got a very nice mail yesterday from a trust, congratulating me and letting me know that they will be in touch after the new year! So hopefully that will be positive :) I've sent off nearly 15 letters to local companies, asking for raffle prizes, donations etc.

 I have a few car boot sales in the next month and my cheque from Barony St Johns Church (don't know how much for!) has still to arrive.
 P.S. I forgot to say... I HAVE MY FIRST BAG PACKING SPACE :D:D:D:D!!! It's at a HUGE and I mean HUGE Sainsburys Superstore in Irvine and it is booked for 6th July 2013. I know thats a longgggg way away but i'm actually really pleased with the date. It will be my final stretch of fundraising so that will be a great boost to start it!

TOTAL IS AT £1318.80

Fundraising is a long process....

22-07-12
I decided I would start a new post for fundraising, so it doesn't seem like your reading on forever and ever and ever!

To update you on the past few days, I sold mums guitar for £40 and raised another £10 for the sponsored walk I did! (mum knows I sold the guitar btw)  So that brings my total to £680.. but I'm not going to add it onto my virgin money giving until after my car boot sale this Saturday, since the guitar was supposed to end up there!
I also finished my article for St. Andrews church magazine, I'll upload it here for you to see soooooon. I had to send a picture with it (below) :) The bucket only cost me £1.12, bargain! I'm so excited about everything, I can't wait until January when I can finaly say "I'm going to Africa this year" It feels so far away saying next year.

TOTAL £680

28 - 07 - 12

Today was the car boot sale at the Salvation Army. I really thought it would be busier as it was indoors and in the main town, but sadly that wasn't the case! I made £24 from the car boot sale, it's dissapointing compared to the others but every penny counts and I'm still pleased at what I got! I really should start taking baked goods to my car boot sales, the cakes on the stall next to mine were dissapearing like theres no tomorrow!

I received £20 from my Aunt and a further £10 for the sponsored walk, altogether boosting my total to £724, almost half way to my £1500 November target!! Between now and then, I so far have another 2 car boots, a craft fair and a presentation at a Local Church. Every year this church raises money and then during September, they decide on a local charity to donate the money to. I am giving a presentation to let the congregation know about Project Trust and what I will be doing, to see if they will concider me to be their charity, which would be amazing!(BTW, I don't do presentations. I've always been rubbish and nervous talking infront of people but after not having much choice at selection and receiving good feedback, I don't feel to scared. Besides, after it I always feel fine, it's just the thought of doing it! Aslong as I'm still on two feet at the end of it, I will have succeded. Good preparation for my year away!)
I haven't stopped reading the blogs of previous volunteers and those away just now since I first heard about Project Trust. They are so inspiring and insightful! I hope my blog becomes one that inspires people to take this Gap Year... perhaps it will get more interesting when I'm actually ON mine...

I'm worried that when I start college again it will be harder to fundraise, so i'm trying to squeeze in as much as possible before then! Never in my life have I had £5000, it seems like an imposible target but I think i'll make it. I got a letter from Tesco Saltcoats today, there store is too small to bag pack :( That's two Tesco no no's and i'm still awaiting a reply from 2 Asda's, 2 Morrisons and 2 Sainsburys. (let's hope)

TOTAL £724

08-08-12
My total is now at £814 ahhhh, less than £200 now and I'll have £1000! I would like to mention that I got two recent donations on Virgin Money Giving. My dog (yes dog, mum has a sense of humour) donated £20 for chewing my new shoes :D! That's not all, Hamish (a spider, yes a spider) donated £2! very happy.

TOTAL £814

12-08-12
I raised £22.50 from my car boot sale today :) total is now at £866.50, I will hopefully reach £900 by the end of the month, let's see! :insert from later on this night:- Since I started fundraising, i've kept a spare change tin in the house, one of those ones that you can't get into without a tin opener (necessary in this house) Anyway, I opened it because it was full and there was £30 in it!! mainly in 1p and 2ps!! I thought that was brilliant, I have one at my dad's house and my grans too, can't wait to open them when there full. So my total is now at £896.50...£3.50 and I've made it to £900 in less than 2 months! If you would like to donate, please do it here http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JasminesYearToAfrica (I bought a new tin today, twice as big :P )

TOTAL £866.50

17-08-12
£900! Dorothy who works with my mum donated £3.50!

TOTAL £900!

Fundraising has officially started....

25- 06 - 12
Wow, my first fundraising event has been organised! Me and a group of my friends are doing a sponsored fourteen mile walk. I am hoping there will be a decent turn out and it will be a worthwhile event! I've asked them to dress up, to make it as silly and fun as it can be. I've created my leaflet now too, I'm very pleased with it! I ALSO called up Asda to ask about bag packing, I've to send in a cover letter and my leaflet! I'm very pleased that things are going well. I have my first donation on Virgin Money Giving.

TOTAL £20

26-06-12
Today I got a phone call from my local newspaper, they would like to do an article on me! I am so happy with this. It will be released on the 4th of July - The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald!! :D

30-06-12
Today was my car boot sale! I raised a total of £33 from selling things (but I'm happy with that - it was basically empty because everyone thought it was going to rain!) I also received a wonderful donation from Joseph Mullen, a friend from 3TFM Radio Station! So all together today i raised £133, boosting my total to £153... getting there.... only another....£5000? ha ha. Oh well. :)

TOTAL £153

4-07-12
Okay so the article in my local news paper was released today. "From Three Towns to South America". No, no, no no! I am going to South AFRICA. Oh well, other than that huge mistake and the terrible photograph, I am pleased with it. I booked my next car boot sale today for the 14th July, it is on the same day as the local "gala" so hopefully it will be busier than the last one! I need to send off my final Deposit and acceptance, but I have lost my bank card.. more on that later! I received another sponsor on my Virgin Money Giving...from my dog Doughnut...! I'm hoping this means that once a month i'll receive a sponsor from a pet, how clever of them. (I have 9 pets if you include the fish and chickens :P) I sent off my acceptance today, now I'm just waiting on my fundraising pack! (came now)

12-07-12
Today was horrible, amazing and painfully good. Me and my very helpful friends (Mum, Jasmine, Natasha, Mandy, Sophie, Luke, Mark, Jillian, Euan, Caleb, Daniel, Rachel, Matthew) walked an exhausting FOURTEEN MILE WALK from Ardrossan South Beach to Largs. Of course, it really was dreadful and everyone hates me now. On the bright side of things, it raised £205.50! Brilliant. I'm so grateful to everyone that helped, thank you so much! Especially to those like Sophie, who had three broken toes but kept marching on, Mandy who almost gave up but continued at the mere thought of ice-cream, Jasmine who basically crawled the last mile, Natasha who raised £65 herself, my mum who has been whining about sore feet for weeks... We did stop about five times to show each other blisters and eat biscuits, but other than that, it really was terrible. So terrible. I can't get over how terrible it was. Those last few minutes when we were so close to Largs town, yet so, so far away...At the end of it awaited the luxury of Nardini's ice cream, to be honest I think that's what kept everyone going! It was a beautiful day too, which added to it being so terrible. SUN BURN AND HEAT STROKE AND EXHAUSTION AND SWEAT + FOURTEEN MILES OF PURE TORTURE. (it was nice really). Anyway, it was brilliant when we finally got on the train home, the lovely ticket lady took one look at our pouting faces and gave us a free ride, the taxi driver donated our fiver fare to us, so we had completely free travel home! Safe to say I won't be out of my bed all day tomorrow, but on Saturday I have my next car boot!

Close to the beginning (walk to Largs - 14 miles)

14-07-12

Today I raised £35.70 from a car boot sale at St Andrews Church. The weather was great and there was a nice atmosphere, but it wasnt very busy! boo. I will try to fit in a car boot sale atleast twice a month, it doesnt loose any money and I just need to keep taking the same stuff until it all sells! (please!) I mainly sell my own books, dvds and accessories like bags and clothes but people have been donating things for me to sell, like ornaments and china! (Which is good because most customers are older.)

18-07-12
I've realised that if I continue to post as often as I do i'll probably run out of internet ink. SO, i'll calm down. NOT YET. Today was Positive > Negative. First, I got a call from Tesco in Irvine to let me know that they DO NOT support charities unless they are local (Even though the Tesco in Ardrossan say otherwise so I'm not sure what to think, it can't be a Tesco thing) This morning I also had a little meeting with an Avon lady, it ended in me being an Avon lady. hmm. If I make profit, i'll stick to it because I do need extra money on the side of all of this crazy fundraising! I have a cheque of £305 ready to send of to Project Trust, I believe my total is now £620 including deposits, not bad I hope! Tonight I booked my next car-boot sale (my favourite fundraising event just has to be the one that is successful if it makes more than £2.50) Anyway, it's on the 28th July (: I also got a phonecall from St.Marys Church, I have a date booked (for hall + bar hire) ! It might change depending on whether the DJ can make that night or not but for the moment... 22nd December! - let's hope everyones in the Christmas drunken spirit! Hopefully i'll squeeze in kareoke, a quiz and a raffle :) That will be all and I promise not to write for a while...

TOTAL £620