News reaches us of two Conservative MPs seeking sponsorship for their efforts for worthwhile causes over the coming weeks.
Northern Ireland Secretary and North Shrophsire MP Owen Paterson and his wife Rose will be racing 1,000 km on horseback across the Mongolian Steppe in August. He explains:
"We will be taken to a secret starting point several hours away from Ulaanbaatar and given a GPS navigation aid. In imitation of Genghis Khan’s Pony Express system of communication across his enormous empire, we will change horses every 40 km at isolated nomadic settlements or uurtus. Weight is at a premium, so we will only carry 5 kg of overnight kit and clothes for 10 days. The nomadic villages will provide mutton stew and fermented mares milk, which is apparently considerably more disgusting than it sounds. The weather will vary from fierce sunshine to violent storms with freezing nights. We expect to have to cross mountains, marshes, forests and desert. River crossings will be our only opportunity to wash. We have been told to expect rabies, ticks and severe chafing amongst other hazards."
They are raising money for The Royal Irish Regiment Benevolent Fund, the Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries and Mercy Corps Mongolia and you can sponsor them here.
Meanwhile North Warwickshire MP Dan Byles is doing a parachute jump on July 6th to raise funds for Troop Aid. He says:
"I served as a soldier for nine years before leaving the Army to stand for election. Now I am joining fellow veterans from Bedworth in jumping out of a perfectly servicable aeroplane in order to raise money for this worthwhile cause."
Click here to sponsor him.
