Blackburn Rovers fan to trek in memory of player (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Blackburn Rovers fan to trek in memory of player
4:00pm Monday 14th January 2013 in News
By Dan Clough, Reporter
Machu Picchu and (inset) James Fallon
A BLACKBURN Rovers fan who suffers from depression will trek to Peru to raise cash and awareness of the cond-ition in memory of former Rovers forward Chris Thompson.
Mr Thompson, who scored 26 goals in 100 appearances for the Ewood Park club in the 1980s, died in June last year aged 52.
An inquest in December heard that Mr Thompson had become a reclusive alcoholic with depression, and had cirrhosis of the liver that was ‘most likely’ related to alcohol.
Touched by the story of Mr Thompson in The Lancashire Telegraph, James Fallon, 26, a lifelong Rovers fan, decided that he wanted to do something for mental health charity MIND.
He said: “I suffer from chronic depression and anxiety, and have always had an interest in South America and its history.
“I wanted to raise money for a fantastic charity which helps so many people through very difficult times. I also wanted to raise awareness of mental health issues.
“I was inspired to do this by reading the story in the Telegraph about Chris Thompson and the cir-cumstances surrounding his death.”
Mr Fallon, originally from Blackburn, but now living in Bolton, said he will be trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu from November 2. He said: “I have emailed Chris’s former clubs asking for their support.
“I have a target of £3,625 to raise before August, so any support, particularly from fellow Rovers fans, would be greatly app-reciated.
“If this all goes well, I am seriously considering doing one of these adventures a year until I am 30 to raise even more awareness and funds.”
Walsall-born Chris Thompson signed for Rovers in 1983 from Bolton Wanderers, playing as strike partner to all-time leading goalscorer Simon Garner.
He moved on to Wigan in 1986, where he would form a prolific partnership with future manager Paul Jewell.
He went on to play for Blackpool, Cardiff and Walsall.
At the time of his death he was living in his West Midlands home.
To sponsor Mr Fallon in his quest visit justgiving.
com/james-fallon2
Comments(30)
Whydidtheybanme?
says...
5:01pm Mon 14 Jan 13
happycyclist wrote:This will be the amount that the MIND want to recoup, so around 50% will go toward airfares, accomodation, guides etc. Unfortunately (as with many of these "charity trips" if you donate I suspect you'll be paying for this young chap to have the holiday of a lifetime.
£3,625 seems like an odd figure to have as a target.
My personal opinion is that these sort of trips should be self-funded. I've done similar trips, however completely funded them myself and raised a bit of brass along the way.
2 for 5p
says...
5:23pm Mon 14 Jan 13
Once in a lifetime holiday for free , if you want to raise awareness whatever that means ? Why not go freaking around east Lancs or the lake district. Simples.
2 for 5p
says...
5:25pm Mon 14 Jan 13
Treaking not freaking predictatext.
Bazzer
says...
5:48pm Mon 14 Jan 13
2 for 5p wrote:Predictatit.....
Mistake: Treaking not freaking predictatext.
boyofdarovers
says...
7:14pm Mon 14 Jan 13
Bazzer wrote:Predictapissingmysid
2 for 5p wrote: Mistake: Treaking not freaking predictatext.Predictatit.....
es
2 for 5p
says...
7:25pm Mon 14 Jan 13
“If this all goes well, I am seriously considering doing one of these adventures a year until I am 30 to raise even more awareness and funds.”
Yes I bet you are .
If I had some idiots funding a once in a lifetime holiday for me I would.
Jamesyness
says...
8:26pm Mon 14 Jan 13
PickledLily
says...
9:07pm Mon 14 Jan 13
2 for 5p wrote:'Once in a lifetime holiday?'
Quote:
“If this all goes well, I am seriously considering doing one of these adventures a year until I am 30 to raise even more awareness and funds.”
Yes I bet you are .
If I had some idiots funding a once in a lifetime holiday for me I would.
It's not a freaking stroll round Witton Park - if you actually look at how much trekking this entails, it's not exactly going to be a jolly.
Whilst I won't be sponsoring James, I wish him all the best.
happycyclist
says...
9:13pm Mon 14 Jan 13
Jamesyness wrote:Hi James. Why the target of £3,625? It just seems an odd figure.
Thank you for the comments. Whilst not exactly positive, I'll just use them as incentive to do well on the trip. So thank you :-)
drunken donut
says...
9:43pm Mon 14 Jan 13
Norman T Wangler
says...
12:03am Tue 15 Jan 13
Jamesyness
says...
2:50am Tue 15 Jan 13
Jamesyness
says...
2:53am Tue 15 Jan 13
Whydidtheybanme?
says...
9:23am Tue 15 Jan 13
Good luck with the trek, however personally i don't believe in giving to events such as this if they're not self-funded and I think the law should be more transparent so that anyone who gives a £1 knows exactly how much of that £1 goes to said charity.
philmoulden
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9:25am Tue 15 Jan 13
Jamesyness
says...
11:33am Tue 15 Jan 13
ptw123
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12:11pm Tue 15 Jan 13
BillyTBBURN
says...
12:20pm Tue 15 Jan 13
You have to remember that we are on the brink of recession and that people as you say don't have as much disposable income to donate to things like this especially when the only person who will really benefit from it will be yourself. Also could i ask what connection did Chris have to Peru?? Why does your interest in South America mean that you must use this cause to realise a personal dream??
I am not knocking the charity aspect at all. Mental illness is a serious issue in today’s modern world and people like you who are affected by it deserve all the help they can get from organisations like MIND.
i feel you may have bitten off more than can chew.. when starting charity projects especially the first one i would ideally start small maybe a sponsored walk between Chris's old clubs grounds or a walk up to the lakes as another poster suggested something that doesn't cost the earth. This way more than 60% of the funds that you raise can actually go directly to MIND or the suggested charity you are raising funds for
I admire your willingness despite the "negative comments" but the points you have returned won’t make potential donators such as myself want to part with well hard earned cash
2 for 5p
says...
12:40pm Tue 15 Jan 13
How much have you raised already.
I don't think you will raise the amount needed, anybody out there may as well donate there £1 directly to MIND that way the charity gets all the money and bypasses your holiday fund.
Jamesyness
says...
12:50pm Tue 15 Jan 13
The only connections between everything are Blackburn Rovers and mental illness. Chris had no (to my knowledge) to Peru.
I simply wanted something to really challenge myself. And having looked on the various challenge websites - naturally I picked something that I knew I would be interested in. This will give me the focus to do as well as possible. I very well may have bitten off more than I can chew, but I am determined to make a success of this trip. Not just when I'm there - but also before and after I have been.
Thank you for all your comments, positive, constructive or negative. I appreciate all the comments and will take all on board and will be using each to fuel my determination even further.
Jamesyness
says...
1:01pm Tue 15 Jan 13
2 for 5p wrote:Since launching the Just Giving page on Sunday evening - I have raised £40.00. However I have had pledges from friends, family, colleagues and I will be doing countless events at work. Work also will match whatever I raise in those work events pound for pound. Up to a max of £750. Taking into account the average event in my office takes around £3/400 every time, so I don't envisage a problem with raising the minimum funds required. That will be a monumental achievement for me as well as increasing awareness of mental illness.
JAMES:
How much have you raised already.
I don't think you will raise the amount needed, anybody out there may as well donate there £1 directly to MIND that way the charity gets all the money and bypasses your holiday fund.
2 for 5p
says...
1:09pm Tue 15 Jan 13
Trek from Blackburn to Halifax its the same distance, and you don't need to go sponging off MIND.
RoverTheHill
says...
1:33pm Tue 15 Jan 13
2 for 5p wrote:James I sympathise and wish you well but it is the above reason that I will not be donating you on your walk. I recently realised a charity album to assist a charity. Instead of asking for people to pay more (to cover production) or using money from the sales to pay (for production) I managed to get a business sponsor to cover all costs meaning any and all donations went straight to the charity. Thankfully I also managed to negotiate with the suppliers and got a far cheaper deal and then did a lot of the work and covered some of the expenses myself to make the sponsor cost as low as possible.
JAMES:
How much have you raised already.
I don't think you will raise the amount needed, anybody out there may as well donate there £1 directly to MIND that way the charity gets all the money and bypasses your holiday fund.
The sponsor is happy because they can claim it back from the tax man as charitable giving, a potential donater is happy because they aren't giving their own hard-earned money for someone to realise an album (or go aboard to Peru i'd love to go myself). So whilst your intentions are good, the fact you will be going somewhere you have a personal interest in and asking people to pay for it instead of trying to raise £3625 directly for the charity by doing a localised sponsored walk which wouldn't cost a penny, or by getting a direct sponsor, will be a huge disadvantage to your fund raising pitch.
So again, I wish you all the best but in this economy I can't see many people donating to cover the cost of your trip.
Jamesyness
says...
1:34pm Tue 15 Jan 13
RoverTheHill
says...
1:35pm Tue 15 Jan 13
Jamesyness
says...
1:36pm Tue 15 Jan 13
RoverTheHill wrote:I completely understand where you are coming from and thank you for your good luck wishes.
2 for 5p wrote:James I sympathise and wish you well but it is the above reason that I will not be donating you on your walk. I recently realised a charity album to assist a charity. Instead of asking for people to pay more (to cover production) or using money from the sales to pay (for production) I managed to get a business sponsor to cover all costs meaning any and all donations went straight to the charity. Thankfully I also managed to negotiate with the suppliers and got a far cheaper deal and then did a lot of the work and covered some of the expenses myself to make the sponsor cost as low as possible.
JAMES:
How much have you raised already.
I don't think you will raise the amount needed, anybody out there may as well donate there £1 directly to MIND that way the charity gets all the money and bypasses your holiday fund.
The sponsor is happy because they can claim it back from the tax man as charitable giving, a potential donater is happy because they aren't giving their own hard-earned money for someone to realise an album (or go aboard to Peru i'd love to go myself). So whilst your intentions are good, the fact you will be going somewhere you have a personal interest in and asking people to pay for it instead of trying to raise £3625 directly for the charity by doing a localised sponsored walk which wouldn't cost a penny, or by getting a direct sponsor, will be a huge disadvantage to your fund raising pitch.
So again, I wish you all the best but in this economy I can't see many people donating to cover the cost of your trip.
RoverTheHill
says...
1:42pm Tue 15 Jan 13
Jamesyness
says...
2:08pm Tue 15 Jan 13
RoverTheHill wrote:I am in regular contact with a few "big names" and their battles with depression and associated mental illnesses. I won't name them out of respect for their privacy, however they are known within the football world. Alistair Campbell is also actively promoting the trip too.
If i can make a suggestion - try doing some research into any big names that suffer from depression or have worked with MIND before. They may be willing to advertise your trip to the masses
oddmanjack
says...
7:38pm Tue 15 Jan 13
happycyclist says...
4:50pm Mon 14 Jan 13