Page 85 - Mind, Body & Spirit Number 104 2020/21

The outbreak of Covid 19 has had an unsettling effect on us all, none more than the effect it has taken on our NHS and the workers who have dedicated their lives to support the recovery of this pandemic.
Inspired by my Mother who is a nurse that works for the NHS within the Belfast Trust. I wanted to help by raising money to support this great service. It was her birthday on 9 Apr 20 and since I was unable to see her this year and knew she would be working I decided that my challenge would be done around her day.
I set myself the challenge to complete 10,000 press ups within a 24-hour time period. This started at 1200 9 Apr and was planned to go through until 1200 10 Apr. For me to achieve this within the allotted time I would need to complete an average of 7 press ups every minute. A JustGiving page was set up with the target amount of £500 to be raised in aid of the NHS (Belfast Trust).
My tactic was to complete 20 press ups every 2 mins so that I was able to give myself a short break every couple of hours to refuel and attempt to do some much needed reconditioning on any knocks I picked up along the way. The first couple of hours went with ease but I knew the more fatigued I became, the more of a struggle it would be. In my times of need, I found the best tool that I had to hand was the ability to go live through social media as well as having my music blasting aloud to keep me going (mostly Michael Bublé). In my darkest hour of the night I found myself in pain with the excessive amount of press ups starting to take its toll on my elbows. The few that decided to stay up online with me were great and kept me focused and motivated, reminding me of the great cause I was doing it for. Amazingly and to my disbelief, I completed it with two hours to spare.
Finishing the challenge was one thing, but the most important to me was raising the funds for the NHS (Belfast Trust). My target of £500 was smashed within hours of my challenge, to then finish with an incredible amount of £2670 generously donated by everyone far and wide. The support was unbelievable with
up to 80 people tuning into my live feed at its busiest time for support from across the world (UK, Ireland, Brunei, Dubai, Germany, New Zealand and Australia). After not seeing anyone for weeks I enjoyed every moment catching up with family, friends, colleagues and fellow Apostles. To my amazement, Northern Ireland’s national radio station Cool FM got wind of what I was doing and declared me their hero of the day live on air which then led to an interview that was shown on all their social media platforms a week later.
Doing this event was one of the most rewarding things I have done; I was blown away with the amount of support and momentum it generated. In a time where both our mental and physical fitness
was most at risk, I found that this inspired others to join in along with me and set their own challenges throughout the lockdown periods.
In what has been a challenging but charitable year from all across the British Army and wider population, 5 Regiment Army Air Corps decided to also make an effort in organising an event that comprised of a 24 hour run in an attempt
Cpl Moolkeea and his fund raising team (Air Tpr Quinn and Air Tpr Green) with Mr Forsley from the ABF.
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5 REGIMENT ARMY AIR CORPS
SSgt (SSI) W Jervis RAPTC
Air Tpr Quinn in the zone during his running stints
to raise funds to support The Army Benevolent Fund (ABF) The Soldiers Charity.
The event was held within Aldergrove Station Gymnasium on 25 Nov 20. It comprised of 8 members from the Regiment rotating hourly, ensuring one member of the team was continuously running throughout the 24hr period.
There were two tasks set for this event in the hope of achieving the furthest distance possible and most importantly raising as much funds for this deserving charity. First task was to identify the individual who was able to cover the furthest distance within their overall running time, this was achieved by Lt Clarke from HQ Sqn who covered 43.16 Km. The second task was to identify the individual who was able to raise the most money, this was achieved by
Sgt Reilly from RHQ who raised £100.
The team managed to raise an outstanding amount of £1,921.00. These funds were presented by the Commanding Officer of 5 AAC to the ABF NI Regional Manger Mr
David Forsley.
This has been my first year working with 5 AAC where it has been frustrating and challenging with many ups and down not helped by the restrictions that we have all seen in recent times. Luckily with having a strong togetherness throughout the Regiment, motivation has remained high with everyone eager to see whatabetteryearishopefullyahead.
A tired but proud SSgt (SSI) Jervis with his total amount raised after an exhausting 24 hours