Please support Farren’s efforts to raise £20K.
Having served as an Army Officer for nearly 22 years, Farren is in awe of the servicemen and women serving so courageously on operations today. He has set up two bmycharity fundraising sites in order to raise money for:
- Help for Heroes, which is doing such fantastic work to raise money to support members of the Armed Forces who have been wounded in the service of their country https://www.bmycharity.com/V2/Farren2ParisH4H
- The ‘C Group’ which is dedicated to raising awareness and generating practical support throughout and from the business community for Royal Marines, particularly those who are suffering the long-term effects of injuries sustained on operations. Farren is a founding member.
- https://www.bmycharity.com/V2/Farren2Paris
And for all donations not received online he is raising money for:
- The ‘Guvnors Club’ which will indirectly help to fund mentors for the social impact enterprise he has founded, Make-it-Yours (MiY)
You can choose which you would like to contribute to, by following the separate links shown for the charities above. The Guvnors Club is different.
The Guvnors Club is linked to the great team Farren is cycling with. They are working on the construction of the Athlete’s Village for the London 2012 Olympics. They are cycling for the British Lung Foundation and are nearing their target of £11K. If you would like to support this excellent charity rather than the two military charities I have chosen, please go to: http://www.justgiving.com/village-athletes
The team is also raising money for the Guvnors Club, through offline contributions. Farren is particularly interested in this because the Guvnors Club will help fund mentors to work with Make-it-Yours (MiY), which has been established to give people who need it a second chance (more below).
The Guvnors Club is unique in the construction industry – not only looking after its own workers who face tough times, but in connecting construction projects with the communities in which they operate, it supports many great causes. It is a fantastic Foundation, not a charity, so, like MiY, it cannot use one of the ‘charity fundraising websites’ to raise money for it.
So, for those uncomfortable donating online and/or who love the concept of MiY and would like to support it directly, please send me donations to LIW, Ashridge Manor, Forest Road, Wokingham RG40 5RB (cheques made payable to ‘The Guvnors Club’) and MiY will in turn benefit.
MiY is a social impact enterprise. It is not a charity. It combines the very best of what business, sport and a sustainable and unique leadership organisation can offer to transform lives
MiY will inspire, challenge, develop and support people who need a second chance. Either the education system has failed them or they have made mistakes. All are determined to make something of their lives. MiY can help them with vital life skills and through the support of volunteer mentors from business.
MiY is an opportunity for businesses which take social responsibility and a commitment to the communities they operate in seriously. The business model is simple. LIW ( www.liwleadership.com) which is the inspirational leadership business, in which Farren is one of the Directors, will develop volunteer mentors from businesses, provide them outstanding leadership development alongside their mentees and support them on a transformational journey as a mentor.
This is a Corporate Social Responsibility opportunity as well as a unique personal and leadership development experience. Businesses will pay for this and a number have embraced the concept and agreed to or have already done so.
MiY is an opportunity for businesses which take social responsibility and a commitment to the communities they operate in seriously. The business model is simple. LIW ( www.liwleadership.com) which is the inspirational leadership business, in which Farren is one of the Directors, will develop volunteer mentors from businesses, provide them outstanding leadership development alongside their mentees and support them on a transformational journey as a mentor.
This is a Corporate Social Responsibility opportunity as well as a unique personal and leadership development experience. Businesses will pay for this and a number have embraced the concept and agreed to or have already done so.
We have the plan and brilliant partners with mentees keen to join in – we just don’t have enough money yet to pilot the concept in the Olympic Borough of Newham.
Farren is immensely grateful to Mashsport and its Founder, Dominic Risebro, for supporting his effort by hosting this page on his site. It reinforces MiY’s relationship with Mashsport as we explore shared goals to optimise what sport can offer to make a difference in society.
• Farren’s cycle ride is about backing what he believes in. He has financed this trip himself. He knows it’s going to be tough and yet so worth doing because it will help some great charities and help kick-start MiY.
• Piloting MiY in the Olympic borough of Newham will cost nearly £40K. The plan to execute with up to 12 mentees and 12 mentors is in place. Whilst some businesses have already elected to fund their mentors, which is fantastic, more is required to run the pilot, let alone exploit the fantastic stories which will come from mentees, mentors and businesses alike by running MiY2 soon after.
• LIW has put £25K into the MiY budget for next year – a tangible demonstration of its commitment to having a sustainable social impact. It would be marvellous if Farren could match this.
• So - please be generous!
Going out with a bang not a whimper!
And there’s more! In order to attract greater attention to and funding for MiY, Farren is donating his 2002 Renault Laguna to the cause. This vehicle has a safety issue, which Renault UK will not accept. He is not prepared to let his family go in it or sell it to another family. So he would like to have it blown up by an explosives expert, shot at by a tank on a military range or purchased at an ‘above market value’ price for scrap. If you can help him achieve any of these, please make contact.
If we blow it up and you sponsor Farren you could win the chance to press the button! A name will be selected at random from all sponsors.
If we blow it up and you sponsor Farren you could win the chance to press the button! A name will be selected at random from all sponsors.
Farren served for nearly 22 years as an Army Officer and despite having been deployed in operational theatres on numerous occasions, he is in awe of the servicemen and women who have served and continue to serve so courageously in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He was a founding member of the ‘C Group’ http://www.thecgroup.org/ established among other things to mobilise the business community in support of the Royal Marines. Farren served as an instructor at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, winning the coveted Commando Medal, on the Commando Course. Raising money for the ‘C Group’ will help it support the many Royal Marines physically and psychologically damaged by war.
The support and gratitude the general public gives to our servicemen is wonderful. The rise of Help for Heroes http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/ epitomises this allowing it to do incredibly important work supporting wounded servicemen and women.
Carrying The BATON, which is crafted from the handle of a stretcher which has been used until recently in active service in Helmand Province, is a further tangible sign of his support.
Farren was inspired to make a difference in people’s lives whilst deployed with the United Nations during the war in Bosnia in 1994/5. He set up the Brandywine Challenge, raising many thousands of pounds for Feed the Children, (shown here handing a cheque to Patron, Oscar winner Jeremy Irons) and galvanising international charities, his soldiers, their home counties and the war-ravaged community they were responsible for in central Bosnia. Re-building and equipping 5 schools, ruined by war and allowing 1500 youngsters to return to education after 2 years of being deprived was inspirational. The desperation of the traumatized children to learn and play again was humbling.
In 1997 – 1999 Farren was fortunate enough to be appointed to command a battalion of 700 men and women working in the challenging operational theatre of County Armagh in Northern Ireland. The work of his battalion in contributing to peace and stability in difficult circumstances and in the face of danger was recognised by the award of the Wilkinson Sword of Peace
Since leaving the Army, Farren has become a Director of LIW, a leadership business with a Mission to strengthen leaders in order to transform their impact personally, in organisations and in society. It is an inspiring place to work and it makes a difference in people’s lives every day. Farren set up its Foundation for Young Leaders and Make-it-Yours. http://www.liwleadership.com/liweurope/EMEAServicesYoungLeaders.html
