Buddhafield Appeal - be one of the 150!

Triratna’s Buddhafield sangha are nearing the end of a packed summer program of retreats, festivals, cafes, and children’s events.  Along the way they’ve been concocting a great fundraising scheme to help them pay off the £35,000 they still own on their new land at Frog Mill, 17 acres of gorgeous land in Dartmoor National Park.  Simple really - get 150 people to do something they’ve never done before and fundraise £200 each.  So they’ve been asking everyone they meet  “Could you be 1 of the 150?”

And now they write to say - “Dear friends, it's happening!  All of the below have committed themselves -

Dhiramati raised £800 on an all night puja at this year’s Buddhafield Festival

 Paul Chauncy raised £400 cycling from London to Frog Mill, recording an album on his travels

K. has run a half marathon and raised £200

H.D. has raffled a bushcraft course and raised £475 | P.V. donated the proceeds of his massages on the family friendly retreat | S. donated £8,000 (wow!) | K. (and seven others) each donated £200 | L.B. and  V.  are running a half marathons

S. is knitting | D. And S.T. are abseiling

K.,K., C. and N. are swimming, running, making cakes and felt

H.P. and  L.S. are walking 40 miles between Buddhafield's 2 pieces of land

S. is cycling the South Downs way

K. is donating the royalties from his book on meditation

and more - 

R.H. is massaging | M. is selling his computer and donating the proceeds | V. is stilt walking on Dartmoor | Z.H. is making, then auctioning a beaded bodhisattva | A.S. is doing a painting | C.B. is doing a slack rope walk | VJ and J. are doing a triathlon | G.C. is doing acupuncture | K. is busking | J.J. and R.R. are holding a musical evening | Padmapani is doing a disco | C.T., J.H. and family are sending a toy bear and diary around to friends | V. is holding a musical evening in West London | A.M. is doing a 24 hour piano D.S. is doing extra midwifery shifts | J.H. is holding a dance night | L. and R. are having a 24 hour cake bake and sale | V. is doing an all night reading of The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava | T.M.  won’t buy anything for three months | L. D. has pledged to do something with food | A. (and 16 other people!) have pledged to raise £200.

Hannah from Buddhafield writes to say - “They are doing this to raise money for the Buddhafield Frog Mill land appeal. Are you looking for an excuse to do something you’ve never done before? Could you be one of those people sharing your skills, passions, creativity and talent to help Buddhafield? You can join the above in their heroic tasks by setting up your own JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/buddhafield 

“Suggestions for activities include walks, runs, silences, gigs, meditations, hair cutting/shaving, pilgrimages, dances, comedy nights, plays, frog hopping (for kids!), marathons/ half marathons, fashion shows, cake sales, jumble sales- ANYTHING- as long as it’s ethical!  

"Once you’ve made a page, let your friends on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Bebo know what you’re up to and get them involved too.  If you're not computer literate, do it the old fashioned way getting sponsors with pencil and paper!”

Buddhafield hold their big family friendly and open summer retreats on Frog Mill. It cost £85,000 and they’ve done very well to pay off over £50,000 - but that still leaves £35,000 to go. It has a salmon spawning river, the Blackaton Brook flowing through it and is home to kingfishers, dippers and a host of other wildlife. They have plans to let natural regeneration create more woodland and to clean and tidy up the mill area this winter.