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STOP PRESS: offline donations so far total £20,655!!<br /><br />Many many thanks for all those who have sent us cheques. <br /><br />Owen and Rose Paterson will be racing on horses 1000 km across one of the world’s last great wildernesses, the Mongolian steppe, in August.<br /> <img alt="Owen and Rose" border="none" src="http://theadventurists.com/media/BAhbCFsHOgZmSSIdNGUyMDNlYzc3OGYzYTY1MDcwMDAwMDAyBjoGRVRbCDoGcDoKdGh1bWJJIgw1MDB4NDAwBjsGVFsHOgZlOghqcGc/4e203ec778f3a65070000002.jpg" width="600px" />
<br />We will be taken to a secret starting point several hours away from Ulaanbaatar and given a GPS navigation aid. In imitation of Genghis Khan’s Pony Express system of communication across his enormous empire, we will change horses every 40 km at isolated nomadic settlements or uurtus. Weight is at a premium, so we will only carry 5 kg of overnight kit and clothes for 10 days. The nomadic villages will provide mutton stew and fermented mares milk, which is apparently considerably more disgusting than it sounds. The weather will vary from fierce sunshine to violent storms with freezing nights. We expect to have to cross mountains, marshes, forests and desert. River crossings will be our only opportunity to wash. We have been told to expect rabies, ticks and severe chafing amongst other hazards. Of the 20 riders so far committed, we are the only British and the only over-50s. <br /><br />We are doing it now, because if we don’t we never will but we do hope to raise significant sums for our three charities:<br /><br />The Royal Irish Regiment Benevolent Fund provides financial help and other much needed support for members, their widows and children. Three soldiers from the Regiments were killed during their recent tour of Afghanistan and another 16 were severely injured in the service of their country. <br /><br />The Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries provides extraordinary care for patients with severe spinal cord injuries and undertakes groundbreaking stem cell research which has a worldwide reputation.<br /><br />Mercy Corps Mongolia tackles hunger, poverty and conflict with programmes focussing on economic opportunities for the rural communities of Mongolia. <br /><br />We will be very grateful for any support you can give us. You can do so by clicking here: <br /><br /><a href="http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/patersonsmongolderby" target="_BLANK">http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/patersonsmongolderby</a><br /><br />or by making a cheque out to O W Paterson (and writing Mongol Derby on the reverse)<br /><br />and sending it to: The Rt Hon Owen Paterson MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, House of Commons, London, SW1A OAA<br /><br />Owen and Rose Paterson