July 15, 200817 yr Thanks for the info ...i had forgotten about this [haven't been in the thread since it was first posted on D]
July 16, 200817 yr Thanks to Sleepless in Hampshire on d: Longish article about the challenge here http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/sw...n_river_bid.php WIll Young's twin in river bid By James Wallin A PEDALLING pop idol is helping his twin brother in an unconventional quest to raise money for his charity. Rupert Young, the twin of singer Will Young, will launch his 133-mile trip on a pedalo outside the Trout Inn, in Lechlade tomorrow at 11am. He is raising money for his Mood Foundation, which helps people battling addiction and depression. Rupert, 29, will be joined on his four-man pedalo by a number of famous faces along the route. As well as his celebrity sibling, there will be TV presenter Dermot O'Leary, singer Rachel Stevens and writer Sebastian Faulks. The challenge will be launched by Rupert, alongside TV survival expert, Bear Grylls. Rupert hopes to raise awareness of the plight of addicts and those cursed by addiction. He will also be raising money for his charity, which he launched after his own battle with alcohol and drugs. He said: "One of the things I want to achieve is to show that asking for help is okay, because that's a hugely important step for anyone fighting depression. "I also want people to see what it is possible to achieve for a person who has suffered depression and addiction problems and is now at peace with himself." Rupert explained that through his years of depression and self-harm he alienated his family, including his famous brother, and is now delighted to have reforged his relationship. He said: "During that time William lost his brother, just like my parents lost their son and it's so nice to have that relationship back again. "During the time when I was literally drinking 24/7 I would often see William on the TV, and I then was glad that I was hidden away, that I wasn't causing problems for him and my family. "Now I'm able to be part of their life again." Rupert explained that his choice of vehicle was a reflection of his character. He said: "I'm not a conventional sort of person so I wanted to choose something that reflected that. "In the end it was either a pedallo or an old tin bath. I eventually found a pedallo for £20 and cleaned it up myself. "It will certainly be a challenge." Rupert will peddle past the finishing line with his brother on August 2, in London. He is hoping to raise as much money as possible along the way for his foundation, which aims to match people up with therapists who can help them escape from their condition. For more information and to make a donation go to foundation's website at www.moodfoundation.com. 10:29pm Tuesday 15th July 2008 I always thought Save Yourself had a very special significance for Will for him to feature it on the tour and album. Really pleased it's all turned around for him. Edited July 16, 200817 yr by munchkin
July 16, 200817 yr Author Thanks for bringing the article over munchkin. How very sad but so pleased Rupert has managed to turn his life around. This was undoubtedly another reason why Will never seemed at ease during the KO promo. Happier times for both brothers now. :D
July 16, 200817 yr Thanks for bringing that over munchkin. I always wondered whether Rupert was having problems over these past years - he seemed to just drop away completely. I agree about Save Yourself. It certainly had significance to someone close to Will, but I never thought of his brother.
July 17, 200817 yr Author Rupert's diary: July 17th 2008 Rupert Young's Pedalo Challenge Blog - Day 1 Wow what a day I have had so far! Day 1 of my pedalo challenge and it's already been sooo eventful! While the rain has been stop start, the weather has been the least of my worries today - I have discovered that swans and geese don't take too kindly to pedalos! After being attacked by one rather feisty swan, I tried to escape by turning a corner and was confronted by 50 angry geese - no amount of bread-feeding would have kept these crazy birds at bay! Anyway while I tried to do my best to avoid any more feathered friends (or foes!), I encountered my next challenge of the day - strong currents. Let me tell you that sailing a pedalo against a raft of strong current you don't get anywhere very fast, mainly because I was going backwards! They say bad things always happen in 3s, so surely thats my daily allowance. Good news of the day is that my tired legs had a little help as I picked up the amazing Bear Grylls as my showbiz guest of the day. While he's traipsed half way round the world and faced natures harshest environments, his steering of a pedalo left a lot to be desired - frequently bumping into the banks! While Bear's steering may need a little practice, his advice has been invaluable and has given me a fab recipe for Nettle Soup - nettles and water, could it be any simpler! With an hour of Bear as company I bid him adieu peddled away - I have already been through lock number two today. I am so chuffed that the word has spread amongst the public, I have had loads of lovely spectators cheering me on, feeding me delicious sandwiches and keeping me motivated every step of the way - thanks so much if you came to see me today! Remember Magic listeners if you fancy coming down to watch me check out my Route Map only at magic.co.uk/mood! Right I am off to head towards the quaint village of Chimney, my stop for this evening, but until tomorrow keep showing your support...I have already raised a whopping £500 today! Thanks to everyone for being so generous, your support and kindness is overwhelming. Until next time Rupert x http://www.magic.co.uk/article.asp?id=795957&SPID=25886
July 20, 200817 yr Author Have we heard how Day 2 went yet? :unsure: No there's been no more reports back. I do hope Rupert han't been experiencing weather like we had here yesterday. Not sure the pedalo would have survived. :o
July 22, 200817 yr Thanks to bumbling:- Rupert Young's Pedalo Challenge Blog - Day 2 After the initial excitement and enthusiasm of day one of my charity challenge to get from Gloucestershire to Pimlico - by pedalo - the second day was definitely more of a struggle. Although I've been in training for the trip, it hasn't taken long for the aches and pains to set in. Ouch, my bum! Oooh, my back! Arggh, my stomach muscles! And my legs are like jelly. Still, better not start moaning this early on – there's a long way to go yet...best to take it just one day at a time. I'm passing a lot of wildlife in the river – it's amazing what you can see at this time of year, moorhens, swallows, dragonflies and of course those pesky swans! But as well as our feathered friends, there's a lot of human activity to watch while continuing on my journey. More and more people are coming out to cheer us on, it's fantastic, a real boost. Of course this means that more and more people are hearing about the charity – and if you want to find out more go to the Mood Foundation pages. The spectators are very kind in offering us cups of tea all day. One chap also offered us a tow to London, which unfortunately we had to turn down! The lock keepers are a bit more bemused by our presence though, giving us funny looks and saying 'Oh we've never had one of those here before!' See you next time.
July 22, 200817 yr Again thanks to bumbling July 21, 2008 Rupert Young's Pedalo Challenge Blog - Day 5 I suppose it had to happen sometime – I fell in! Most of the time I'm delighted to see so many people on the banks watching our progress - and thanks to a chap called Barry who invited me in for a cup of tea today - but I was hoping no one was watching this time. No such luck – you should have heard the cheer! Perhaps I'm a bit accident prone, as I keep on getting caught in fishermen's lines! Why oh why do they insist on leaving them hanging across the river...oh, hang on, that's right, to catch fish....anyway I don't think they like me much as I keep getting tangled up in them. We had a really good weekend though, coming just short of my target of Wallingford last night. Have got a bit of catching up to do. Have been singing along to some great tunes on Magic on my DAB digital radio. They keep playing songs by some bloke called Will or someone, must look him up when I get back Talking of Magic, I passed a boat called Foxy this morning, not long after I'd spoken to him on the show to give him my daily update. It reminded me that the next time I see Neil Fox will be at the finishing line on 2nd August. By which time I'll hopefully have raised thousands for the Mood Foundation, which supports people affected by depression. Help me in my cause and donate now! I must say it's a great way to travel. Normally if I want to go from Oxford to London it takes an hour or so on the train. But there's a lot to be said for doing it the slow way, it makes you appreciate the beauty of Britain's waterways and teaches you a lot about patience. Want to see where we're headed next? Take a look at the route map. See you tomorrow... Hes at North Stoke this morning, leaving at 7am. __________________
July 22, 200817 yr Thanks Chrysalis - no wonder Will got a pushbike. His legs looked very muscular on SNP :P
July 22, 200817 yr Author Thanks Chrysalis - no wonder Will got a pushbike. His legs looked very muscular on SNP :P & his arms. :wub: :wub:
July 22, 200817 yr Thanks for the updates chrysalis, they're giving little news updates on Rupert on the hour after every news bulletin as well.
July 22, 200817 yr I haven't been able to listen in much this week, as my fella's sister and partner are up for the week, and we're out and about a lot.
July 23, 200817 yr Just seen this on D - thanks to bumbling. July 22, 2008 Rupert Young's Pedalo Challenge - Day 5 Today was a HOT day. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a379/dafyd/2885012.jpg It would have been very splendid indeed to be relaxing in the sunshine with a glass of Pimm's in my hand. Instead, I had several miles to make up and spent the day pedalo'ing away (is that the right word?), necking back the water in an effort to stay hydrated. I did have the ingenious idea of using my umbrella as a sail to help get some speed up but it was difficult to steer at the same time! Actually I didn't realise how hard it was going to be...you have to focus so hard on getting to the next stop. It really is the most exhausting thing I've ever done. I still love the pedalo... but I might not by this time next week! It's all in a good cause though, which is what's driving me forward. I set up the Mood Foundation in an effort to make the treatment of depression more accessible for everybody - I know how hard it can be to beat. We had loads of donations today so a big thanks to all those that have supported the cause so far. Keep those donations coming though - just go to the Mood Foundation page on the Magic website to find out how you can donate. The next big challenge is to get Claudia Schiffer on the boat, hoping that will happen in the next few days. I hope she's not going to be in heels. She might find life on board a bit tricky! We've got some great celeb guests coming up actually – take a peek at our celeb guest pages to find out more. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a379/dafyd/2883819.jpg Staying in North Stoke tonight and aiming to set off at 7am. Bye for now... Edited July 23, 200817 yr by chrysalis
July 24, 200816 yr Thanks to bumbling. :D July 23, 2008 Rupert Young's Pedalo Challenge - Day 7 So far on my charity pedalo trip from Gloucestershire to Pimlico I have... fallen in… developed some rather attractive sunburn… been attacked by geese…. and now my flipping tent has broken! The poles have had it - so it's just a big flapping canvas at the moment. Tonight I'll be camping in The Oratory Boat Club with my mate Phil, who has taken pity on me. I've got another one coming but for tonight I'm down to just a sleeping bag! In fact it’s been a funny old day all round. In one way it was very solitary, as I journeyed along the Thames in glorious summer sunshine. But I’m still able to pick up all my emails from the office. So it was like a normal day at work – apart from the constant peddling! Tent or no tent I’m certainly sleeping well when I hit the sack at the end of the day. One of the highlights of the day was coming across an amazing group of people at The Beatle & Wedge pub in Moulsford, I want to say a big hello to a wonderful girl called Stephanie who helped me out with free Diet Coke - no, not beer, honest! - and they raised another £80 in donations for The Mood Foundation. Click here to find out how you can make a donation. While I'm peddling, I'm trying to keep up with some of the same boats that have been travelling down the river like me. Problem is my top speed is about 2 miles an hour! But it’s good to see how others on the river spend their days - turns out it’s pretty much like mine, just a lot faster and with far more breaks! I am slightly concerned though as apparently there’s storm warnings for Friday and Saturday! Hope the tent is with me by then! Or Claudia Schiffer! Rupert x
July 24, 200816 yr http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a379/dafyd/2889317.jpg Thanks chrysalis, looks like his tent is all better now, :lol: god he looks like Will doesn't he?
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