SlideRidin'

This May Bank Holiday I was gutted when I found out I would be working for part of the day. As the weekend progressed, the weather seemed to be getting better and let me (along with every other worker in retail) tell you, there is nothing more disappointing than seeing the sun shining on your way into another shift. Now sunshine is classed as a rarity in England – any weather not rain is a rarity, really – and this Monday it was beautiful. Luckily for me, on Saturday my boyfriend Dan and I signed up to take part in something I think everyone growing up in Colchester has thought about at least once. At some point every person, be they adult or child, has thought these exact words: I bet North Hill would make a bloody great waterslide.

For you lot not in the know, this is North Hill.

 And lo and behold! Us Colchester-goers had our dreams recognised this Bank Holiday when Cancer Research UK set up an event called the SlideRider™, a 250-metre-long waterslide spanning a majority of the length of North Hill. The SlideRider™ went to Brighton in May and is due to visit Bournemouth at a later date this year, so it’s basically travelling the country making dreams come true.

And here she is all up and running! Felt like there were hundreds of people there.

Ok so here are the logistics. It’s £15 to sign up for two goes on the SlideRider™ and once you’ve registered you can set up a JustGiving page to fundraise for the event. Dan and I set a goal to collectively raise £100 two days before, and by Monday we’d managed to hit £125. So that’s not too bad going! Every penny you raise goes to Cancer Research (including your £15 registration fee), and Heart Radio announced on the day that the money made that day would specifically be going towards young people dealing with cancer. Children, teenagers, and young adults are the largest portion of the population suffering with countless different strains of the disease, and as a lot of the people in my life fall into that age group I felt like I could really be making a difference. Recently a friend of mine was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and although her condition means she can easily be treated, it is the repercussions of the surgery and post-op treatment that will hit her the hardest. If I can do my bit to reduce the amount of stress, turmoil, and mental exhaustion associated with cancer, then I will. At the end of the day, life’s a bit rubbish and shit happens. But at least we can try.

Let’s end on a high note! Here's some photos of yours truly taking part...