20. #GoodbyeLegsRide Epilogue
I've got the receipts...
Finished.
A grand total of just over £15,005 was raised
After JustGiving had taken their necessary pound of flesh, the remainder was split between our 4 illustrious charities: Devon Air Ambulance, the Devon and Exeter Institution, Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, and Wheels for Wellbeing.
This meant each charity received from me, via the wonders of internet banking, the sum of £3606 75. Always keep the receipts… they are posted below:
You may note there isn’t a receipt from the Devon and Exeter Institution. This is mainly because we forgot, as we all got a bit excited by their Mid-Summer Party celebrating the end of a multi-year £1.8m Next Chapter regeneration project… and they wanted to buy a bench in time for it! I’m sorry, what?
My bench!
Let me explain… I felt very strongly that the donations to each of the charities should be considered ‘unrestricted funds’, meaning that I do not specify what they spend it on. I think that the people who know what the charity needs most is the charity itself. So I leave it up to them.
I did, however, have some intriguing notions (it happens, albeit rarely), and I asked Emma at DExInst if perhaps they could invest a few hundred quid of their money in a bench for their lovely courtyard garden. They have a number of folding tables and chairs which come out in good weather for their burgeoning lunch offering, but nothing out there permanently. I thought an all-weather bench would be a nice addition and give members an additional place to read and enjoy the Institution. Thankfully, they agreed. And Emma found this terrific Lutyens bench which is spectacularly fitting.
As an added bonus and bit of ego-massage legacy-making for me, they have enthusiastically suggested sourcing a small plaque for the bench, pronouncing:
In loving memory of Tom’s Legs
#GoodbyeLegsRide, April 2025
(See our temporary solution in the pics)
And so, I (and you, via your donations) have been privileged to be able to add another small story to the illustrious fabric of the Institution’s heritage. A really nice bit of history and a living complement to the community. Maybe you would like to go and visit it? (Yes, this is a veiled invite to either become a member or join a tour)
In a similar vein, Anna of ExCoL was extremely open to ideas on what to spend their donation on. We have loosely brainstormed an idea for some sort of Disabled writers offering to complement their wider inclusive literature programmes - watch this space!
I am unsure what the Devon Air Ambulance and Wheels for Wellbeing intend for their funds but please rest assured your donations will be spent wisely on supporting their important respective missions.
All that remains to be said is, once again, THANK YOU. All of you. From the £5 donations through to the handful of big-hitters who, incredibly, dropped a k… every single donation has been hugely appreciated and I know, in these trying economic times, sometimes that £5 represents a big sacrifice for the week’s food budget. So, seriously, thank you.
And thank you to everyone who spread the word, shared the relentless social media deluge (apologies), chatted to their colleagues about it, emotionally blackmailed family members, or joined us on the ride… thank you.
And thank you for reading.