we're there!

...twice everest, baby!

sure, we left it to the last day, but today we made it!

Following 3 climbs yesterday from Bex and 2 from Beth, that left us needing to do 16 today. So: on our lunch breaks today, Bex climbed 6 times, Mark and Beth went together and did 6 and 4 respectively.. Beth having the honour of completing our team's 555th climb! :-D

So, whilst this was officially the deadline for our bit of the challenge, we still have another 6 days to get our remaining sponsorship in. We were aiming to raise over £1000; at the moment the total is just below £900 at time of posting. If you were planning to sponsor us and haven't yet -- over to you!! It's really easy to do it online, just click on the link below. Alternatively just get in touch with us (info@addmomentum.com or tel 0117 9200038) and we'll add your pledge offline.. Either way, thanks a lot for supporting HopeHIV on our behalf!

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not quite daunted

last few days:
bex 5
beth 14
team total 19
running total 534
21 to make it!

~ friends, today is probably the best day for umbrella manufacturers since a certain Dr Foster publicised his ill-fated trip to Gloucester in a snappy nursery-rhyme... i.e., the solid downpour (5 hours and counting) has made it just a little dispiriting to venture up the tower today... however - quite undaunted are Beth and Bex, who have done seven climbs between them today, and twelve between them on the Thursday/Friday.

This has helped our total along to 534, with two days to go!

More Sponsors still wanted - click below!!

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tower of babel?

since the arrival of spring, we've been sharing our 'tower time' with a rapidly increasing number of visitors. The most startling thing is the number of different languages you will overhear in the tower! Today - a flock of German 'schuler und schulerinnen', and in recent weeks many Spanish and French, two Croats, a trio of Danes, and many more overheard but uninterrogated...

anyway, Climbs! ~ well, we all went up together today and achieved 22 climbs between us, so we are past the 500 mark!. But it'll all come down to the wire next week - Jerry has climbed his last, and we are hoping for no broken or injured limbs over the Easter weekend...

Jerry 7, Mark 6, Beth 5, Bex 4
Climbs Today: 22
Total so far: 515
40 to go before next Thursday!

If you haven't sponsored us already and would like to do so, please visit our online form via the link below. Thanks!

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leg it!

~ amazing how much more athletic you feel
when you wear proper running shoes and
shorts, rather than work attire!..

We have been making a determined assault on our target!

Rupert (see earlier posts) has briefly popped back to Bristol and done 20 more climbs over the weekend~ this enabled him to meet the personal target he originally committed to. Meanwhile, Jerry's done 8 this morning, Beth has done 11 over 3 days, well done to Bex with 10 on Sunday! (and 2 yesterday); as for me, I'm sticking to lunch breaks but have added 12 over the last couple of days as well.

We are nearly up to the magic 500 mark.. We're still continuing to meet loads of people in the tower, so thanks to everybody who has cheered us up and gee'd us on.

Total over Sunday, Monday & today: 62 climbs
Team total so far: 493
Still to go: 62 in 5 working days!

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..& today, the sun!

the tower this lunchtime.

Team totals:
11 today
10 yesterday
421 so far

whoa! after the winds, then the rain, today was the first proper sunny day at the tower! like, picnic-sunny.. (see photo). England confounds me sometimes. Can anyone be sure it won't flip back to winter again any minute?..

So, the tower was packed. Locals, overseas visitors, photographers, lovers, skiving schoolgirls(!)... I did make 10 ascents but there was a lot of congestion and squeezing past in the stairways. Loads of people asked what we're doing, maybe some'll sponsor us, maybe not?.. A guy called Matt did give me £1.50 straight out of his pocket yesterday :-)) Also now I am becoming a kind of expert on the view, so I was able to help people pick out their homes & some of the less-obvious landmarks!

Feelin' good :-)

134 still to do though - in only 7 days! Keep watchin'....

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rain

rainy droplets
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

seems we've fast forwarded already to April showers...

But the good news is, we've broken the 400 mark!

Bex 4, Beth 3, Mark 12 = 19 total
400 so far :-)
155 to go in 9 days!

If you haven't read yesterday's post, please do as it gives some info on the HopeHIV project we (& you!) are supporting. Thanks!

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kibera

Today was another windy day, but not a bad day for climbs either, we have done 19 today (Jerry 10!, Beth 4 and Mark 5).

We can also now publish some pictures that were taken in & around the particular project that this challenge will be supporting. The project is a community school in Kibera, Kenya. Kibera forms part of Nairobi in Kenya and is one of the largest slums in Africa. Thousands of children have lost one or both parents to AIDS; most of these don't get the chance to go to school or get decent nutrition. The school provides a basic, primary education for around 75 children at the moment and also provides them with 2 meals a day. It has been running for some time and the two staff are very dedicated, but have often had to go without pay as the funding has become very shaky. Our aim is to raise enough funds this year to guarantee the school's entire running costs, and allow it to expand and improve the facilities.

This is just one of HopeHIV's many projects in sub-Saharan Africa, where there are over 13 million children who have lost parents to AIDS.

We'll be adding a few more pictures as our challenge gets closer to the deadline, but for now thanks again for your interest and support! (If you would like to sponsor us there is a link just below to our secure 'justgiving' page where you can add your donation (& Gift Aid if applicable)).

Climbs today: 19
Total so far: 381

174 to go!
10 working days left!

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march winds

cabot24
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

i'm sure the tower was bending a few degrees today as the wind whistled through? If you're reading this from down in Bristol centre it may not have seemed severe, but the top of the tower is at 300+ feet so it certainly gets a buffeting at this time of year 8-)

Big shout outs to Beth and Jerry for efforts in their own personal time at the weekend!...
Beth - 5 climbs Saturday, 5 again Sunday, and this despite a cold..
Jerry - 10 climbs Saturday, and this despite living miles outside Bristol! Pat (see Weds 16th Feb) also weighed in with three of her own...

Today: Jerry another 8 climbs today; Bex 3; Mark 10.

That makes 55 climbs since we last blogged. We feel like we're really getting going now and the total so far stands at a very encouraging 362! :-))

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a cabot squirrel

cabotsquirrel
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

well, today wasn't the greatest for climbs, because there was a large throng at the tower for a Red Nose Day event! - didn't find out exactly what they were up to, but I'm afraid the crowds meant that Bex and Mark could only get complete 5 climbs between them.

However; one of the features of the Cabot Tower is that there are plenty of squirrels in the surrounding trees & shrubs - I have been wanting to get a photo for the blog, but with only a cameraphone you have to get up pretty close. Well today this fella got curious enough to be photographed. They're not exactly tame, but they are prepared to chance it every once in a while, to check out all the bizarre human activity!

Special thanks to Gary & Amanda Morgan and to Ashleigh for their generous sponsorship yesterday :-) ~ we'll add to the offline total on our Justgiving page.

Climbs yesterday: thirteen
climbs today: a measly five..
Team total: 318
237 to go in 12 working days!

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t-shirts!

hurrah! all the team were in the office today - also, our T-shirts arrived from HopeHIV, giving us a the chance to take a proper team photo and a bit of visual identity at last!

so we borrowed a colleague's digital camera and had a bit of a goof around.. we all went off to climb at lunch break, and it's great how when you all do it together the climbs seem easier...

today was actually a pretty good day for team climbs as we have broken the 300 mark - Beth and Bex each did 4 climbs, Jerry and Mark each did 7, this makes:
22 today
300 total so far

255 to go!
14 days left!
sponsor us!!!..

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visualise...

cressida, moses
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

The weather's been looking up lately so we have been encountering more people at the tower.. Today I met local residents Moses and Cressida; now when you keep crossing people on the steps they are bound to wonder what you're up to, & I must say it was a welcome break to catch my breath after 5 climbs and explain what we're up to, before doing 5 more! Thanks guys for your interest, your cool names ;) and the moral support.

I'm glad we're doing something with an easily visualise-able element to the challenge (i.e. the tower, Everest).. however what I really want people to be able to visualise are the situations in Africa that HopeHIV's projects are addressing. In the next couple of days we should be receiving some photos from the Kibera slum in Nairobi, where one of the specific projects is based. When we do, I will add some to this site. Meanwhile, Comic Relief presented an excellent TV programme last week about the Aids orphanhood crisis; what with Red Nose Day and Make Poverty History running at the moment the profile of this issue is thankfully on the increase.

Bex added 4 climbs today, that's 14 total so challenge-wise we are:
Just Past the Halfway Point! hurrah...
278 climbs done so far
277 to go!
15 working days left!

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cool, did 10 today -

- need to keep up this kind of pace every day now. works best if you vary quick and slow ones, I find

Smell of fresh grass clippings on the Brandon Hill slopes!!
Farewell to winter..?

Team total 15
So far: 264
Nearly halfway!

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rupert

cabot balcony
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

..It's Rupert's last day. Here he is taking a breather in the midst of another 10 climbs, with beautiful West Bristol in the background.

We will miss you Mr Bevan. - not just your stellar efforts with the climbs and your infectious enthusiasm for the physical hard slog, we'll miss you in the office too! Well done and thanks for your part in the Challenge.

11 today!
249 so far!
306 to go!

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big day for climbs!

mc&rb
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

today we had a team meeting at a coffeeshop in Bristol .. worked out exactly how much more climbing we need to do, and how many days left to do it. Truth is, although we'd been thinking "we've got all of March", in fact from tomorrow that's only 18 more working days! which means we need to average 16 climbs a day... Rupert's last day is tomorrow, and Jerry is hardly in the office during March... However, I'm v.glad to say that Bex is joining our team (see Tuesday's post) and is gearing up for the challenge! Great stuff Bex good to have you on board.

Me, I'm pleased (but tired) as I did 10 climbs on lunch for the first time today.. Rupert of course not to be outdone, did 15! see pic, ho, ho... Jerry climbed 6 times before work, Beth and Bex did 5, this means a team best day of 36 climbs! We also did 18 yesterday so the subtotal now runs to

238 climbs in 14 working days, which leaves

317 to do, in 18 working days before the deadline!

Feel like sponsoring us, to make it all worthwhile??...!

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rainy days

rainy days
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

lately it's been persistently rainly and snowy as our fundraising team have continued to climb the Cabot Tower and get very wet trouser legs...

;-)

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new team member - ?

bex
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

hey. well the miserable weather continues, but the team are keeping up the pace. Over the weekend Beth did seven climbs; yesterday Rupert again weighed in with 10; and this lunchtime we did 14 between us.

The new person in the picture is Bex! -she started with the company this week, now if you've been following our progress you will know Rupert is sadly leaving this week so we are hoping to recruit Bex to our team, but it's not a foregone conclusion - - here she is trying out a first, exploratory climb of the tower! Bex is new to Bristol so she certainly appreciated the view, although as you may be able to see the rain was quite off-putting....

Team total so far is now up to 184!

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verily, it snoweth

cabot12
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

Again it has been trying to snow here today (like all week)...the flakes stream down, but they just don't settle. Today, Rupert took his personal total to 100 ascents so far. The tower was pretty much deserted today, but at the top we met Mel and Lorissa, two sisters from New York...they were pretty chuffed because they'd just seen The Queen, and now they had this great view of wintry Bristol too. We chatted about our quest and I'm sure they laughed at our seeming eccentricity...here's they in the pic...

Totals today Beth 2 Mark 4 Rupert 10
Grand total so far 153

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a spontaneous giver!

cabot11
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

It's a chilly day with an on/off threat of snow but sure enough, Rupert is in his shorts... Cheers to Jerry for 5 ascents before work, Rupert with another heroic 10, Mark joined in on lunch break with 6.

We met a lady in the tower, Catherine from Chippenham (the only one braving the cold wind with us) who having heard what we're doing, reached into her handbag and emptied all her change into our pockets! Wow. she said 'it's not much' but she clearly donated whatever coins she was carrying... Thanks Catherine! another step closer to our target :-)
Team ascents to date 137

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trooper Bevan

cabot09
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

it's gotta be said, Rupert is a bit of a hero - - the guy's been doing 10 ascents a day, since day one, which if you've tried it is no easy feat!

Here he is at the top of the tower the other morning before work, catching his breath. Sadly though, Rupert has only got a couple of weeks left with us so we will certainly miss his efforts, but he is certainly motivated to do his stint before time's up. So far Rupert you account for over half our team total; today, we salute you!

Team total 116

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bristol waking up and going to work

cabot10
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

view from top of the Cabot as me and Rupert climb before work. It's just beautiful watching the mist roll back and many tiny looking humans scurrying through the streets!

Rupert has done another 10, Mark another 6, Beth made 6 ascents over the weekend and another 2 today, and there are 12 to add from Monday; this takes the team total so far to a reasonable but tiring 106!

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it's chilly

cabot08
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

ok, doing this every day in t-shirts in close-to-zero temperatures is gonna take some getting used to .. it's interesting though that people visiting the tower often ask what we're up to, there's nothing like the sight of two eccentric englishmen racing up and down spiral stairs to provoke one's curiosity. In fact we are going to see if we can get little info flyers done, so people can get an easier explanation (since we're usually out of breath!)

Another 12 climbs today

Team total so far: 70

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beth

cabot03
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

This is Beth our other team member looking calm and unruffled after two ascents on lunch break. It's serene composure like this that makes her such an asset in her job. Also Beth lives not too far from the tower so she has also pledged to do a bit of climbing on the weekends too, now that's keen!

Total so far: 58

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pat & jerry

cabot challenge 2
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

Jerry is a director of Add Momentum and we're really pleased that he's part of our team. He's not in the office every day but has committed to climb the tower at lunchtimes when he is here. Even less often do we see Pat, Jerry's wife and our accounts genius, who today showed her solidarity with Jerry by contributing a couple of ascents of her own. Here they are at the foot of the tower contmplating the scale of the climb!

Team Total so far: 46

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view from the pinnacle

cabot challenge 3
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

One of the best things about this challenge will surely be the amazing views of Bristol.. I really don't think we'll lose the fascination of seeing so much of the city laid out below us, and every day there are new people up the tower enjoying the view themselves for the first time.

Rupert made ten climbs again today, so that brings the subtotal to 25.

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here we go

cabot challenge 1
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

OK so this is the first day of our challenge. We don't have a pic of the whole team together yet, this is because some of us work different days, but here's Mark & Rupert off to conquer the tower during lunch break - the first of 555 climbs for Hope HIV.

Today between us we did 15 climbs - this was mainly due to youthful enthusiasm cos the legs definitely start to complain after the first few!

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cabot challenge

cabot challenge 2
Originally uploaded by marktristan.

to get us started - here's a pic of the tower itself! on a sunny winter's morning..... this is only about 2 mins walk from our office door - but it's also about 100 feet uphill ~ ~ ~

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