For the pandas and penguins of course
My sister Pip has been a source of warmth, joy, strength and humour during lockdown, which I’m fortunate enough to be spending with her. Hell, she’s been a source of warmth, joy, strength and humour our whole lives.
In age order, the Willis sibling: Tam, Jae, Pip, Kim. Oh to all be together again.
Now Pip’s gone and surpassed herself. I was telling her about the #twopointsixchallenge people were taking to mark the 26th April, the day the London Marathon would have raised millions for charities, if only it was on. Pip decided she’d like to do something to raise money for an animal charity.
And so we set up a Just Giving page and I wrote an appeal verbatim from Pip:
”Hello everyone, Pip here. I want to save the pandas and the penguins of course. So I'm going to do this challenge on Sunday 26th April to raise money for the WWF. I'm going to walk 2600 steps which I think I can manage. I'm going to make 26 bracelets, and it's nice to use different beads. I'll give these to people as presents, I won't just leave them on the counter. Finally, Mum's going to cut out a big 2 and a big 6 and I'll colour them in. Someone can put them on their door if they want, but only if they live at number 26.
Would you mind sponsoring me please? I'd love that.
Lockdown is isolation. Isolation is fun. Quarantine means you need to leave your post alone for three days, then Gaz will let you have it.”
We put the appeal out a few days before the big day and our friends and family were so generous. Yesterday, she completed her challenges and I transcribed another offering from the Willis With A Way With Words:
“Hello again everyone! Pip here. Thank you for sponsoring me, well the whole thing really. I kept threading beads and I didn't stop until mum told me there were no beads left.
Then came the colouring in. I've got no stickers left now because I used them all on the six.
Now we're half way through the walk and it's the biggest walk I've done in lockdown.
I'm just going to give the animals the money and let them spend it, the pandas will buy bamboo.
I'll just say bye now.”
Honestly, I’m the professional writer in the family and here she is upstaging me.
Pip and her 26 bracelets.
Pip and her 2 and 6, coloured in. She coloured in the back of the 2 but who cares!
Pip and me half way through her sponsored walk.
We were so blown away by generous donations, Pip decided to double her target walk, taking over 5200 steps. I’m so proud of my sister and the enthusiastic, dedicated way she entered into the spirit of the challenge. Our dad emailed and asked me to give her a big hug from him, to congratulate her on her achievement. I went to do so, saying: ‘I know you’re drinking a cup of tea right now but here’s a hug from Dad, to say well done for raising so much money for the pandas and penguins.’ I hugged her carefully as she was, as I said, drinking a cup of tea at the time. She didn’t say anything as I delivered Dad’s speech and hug. And then:
‘It’s hot milk.’
Because let’s not let an incredible achievement like raising 327% of your target and nearly £1000 get in the way of the facts now shall we?
Oh, and talking of facts, it’s vegan milk, because Pip is vegan, for the animals. Ain’t she a peach?
The hero returns from her trek!
I wrote about Pip for the Telegraph a few years ago, in case you would like to know more about her. And if you don’t have access to the Telegraph, here’s an old blog post about microcephaly I wrote around the same time.