Buy Paralympian and Support Sport Relief

To coincide with my involvement with Sport Relief 2010, I’m running a very special offer on my autobiography, Paralympian. Up until my Throwing a Mile challenge on the 23rd February, I will donate £1 to Sport Relief for every book bought direct from me.  So the more books you buy, the more it will cost me, and you get to kill two birds with one stone – get a great read and support a great charity, and I’ll even sign your book with a personal message if you want.

At a knock down price of £7.99 from £9.99, it’s got to be a winner.

If you’re interested please contact me, you can pay by cash, cheque, PayPal – however you want really. You can’t pay me in kind though, I’m not that kind of boy.

Sport Relief Pics

These are the pictures from my Sport Relief photoshoot last year, you’ll have to zoom in to them as they’re just samples. Hopefully I’ll have the full size images to use soon.

Back into full training this week and still feeling very fit and strong. I’m starting to get a big throwing itch after four months without throwing, just need a throwing frame now – My frame is in Loughborough to help with the development of my new frame. Will have it back soon though. Woo!

The below link is an interview with Radio Newcastle… Enjoy

stephen_miller

Sport Relief Launch

Yesterday Sport Relief was launched around the country, and I helped to launch Sport Relief as North East ambassedor by visiting a project in Gateshead run by Liberdade (Picture above) that benefits from Sport Relief funding. You can read all about the visit here – http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tyne/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8470000/8470283.stm

It has been a very tough few weeks for me and my family with the death of my dad on the 11th of January, and his funeral which was only just held on Tuesday. The support of family and friends has been amazing, and the turnout for my dad’s funeral at Whitley Bay was unbelievable, but quite fitting for such a humble man who will be missed so dearly – I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who was there on Tuesday, and also the many people who have sent messages of support. It gives us comfort to know so many care.

My dad was such a strong person though, and he would’ve wanted me to press on with Sport Relief and take on my challenge of throwing a mile. I am as ever eternally indebted to my mum who continues to support me even in these terible circumstances.

Dad was very proud of what I’m doing for sport relief this year, and that will give me the strength to take on this challenge whilst still coming to terms with life without him.

The challenge itself will take place at Gateshead stadium on the 23rd of February. We would like as many people as possible to come along on the morning to support and get involved – you never know, you might even get on the TV!

The challenge is simple, I’m going to try to throw over a mile in distance with the club in less than an hour. It means I probably need to throw a club every minute for the hour. Obviously I want to try and raise lots of money for Sport Relief so I’ve set up a JustGiving page – http://www.justgiving.com/throwing-a-mile – you can also click the JustGiving logo on the right. I’ve already had some fantastic donations, and hopefully we can get a lot more.

Please feel free to contact me if you’d like more details or would like to get involved, and please spread the word as far as you can – I’d love this event to be a massive success.

Visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/sportrelief/ or http://www.sportrelief.com/ for more info.

Plough

This is a slight re-working of a poem I wrote in 2006 about my dad, it was beautifully read at his funeral.

The fields you farmed
are never too far away,
you were grown there.

And the work, oh the work!
Nothing fit for a young man these days,
with early mornings and next-day dawning’s.

Yet so full life was,
semi-skimmed not an option and fry-ups
galvanised the rusting lean machines.

Your body naturally blasted,
fit to bring the sunrise with clumsy clinks
not to mention the pints on Friday night.

That six-pack you claim to once have
boasted, is now duplicated in your sons who are
so different to you, yet the same deep down.

Simple pleasures you have taught,
as I sat and played on your two-wheeled pride and joy, hours disappeared.
Suffice to say that Hailwood would be proud.

Just like lightening with thunder,
you said no to so little, accompanied by
an expected grumble at some point.

Scrubbing through the
sunlight-starved foundry years, a
hard day’s graft was so hard to wash off.

How bitterness settled on your wrist,
with a cheap gold watch made from 25 years
talking shop, another 25 just unthinkable.

Taking bad never suited you
and the lies you thought only scared you,
but we know how lucky we’ve been.

The seeded fields you now plough,
have flattened, slowed and are remote controlled,
just as you like it.

Dad

They say only the good die young.
Well, you always liked to prove a point – You were the best,
and you will always be a part of me and everything I do.
I love you.

Stephen x

Fears

When
you
meet
your
fears.
They
turn
out
to
be
worse
than
you
feared.