Race For Life 2009

I'm very excited and happy to announce that Cancer Research UK's Race For Life is now open for registration and we've already got several Team Armitage team members signed up and rearing to go! A very special thanks to Caroline, Tanya and Kirrily for taking up the challenge and doing the race! You go girls. I'll update the team list as and when new team members come on board (I know there are a few more who will be doing the race!)

You’re invited to do something amazing at Race for Life 2009

Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life 2009 needs women everywhere and their friends, family and colleagues to take part and raise money to help them continue their life-saving work.

Race for Life is the UK’s largest women only fundraising event, where women come together to raise money to help Cancer Research UK beat cancer. Whether you walk, jog or run 5k you can go at your own pace and enjoy a great day out.

There are over 230 Race for Life events taking place all over the UK this summer. So please join us and enter Race for Life 2009 and invite every woman you know to take part too.

Our Just Giving FUNDRAISING PAGE is up and running so if you'd like to make a donation you can do so HERE. All money donated via the Just Giving Webpage goes direct to Cancer Research UK.

Also, as if you needed reminding (!) our FUNDRAISING STORE is open and new products have recently (and will continue to be) added.

Thanks to Cancer Research UK for giving Team Armitage permission to use their logos to help us get the word out about Cancer Research UK and the Race For Life!

But most of all, thanks all for your continued support!

This Week's Featured Doodler: JAMES THORNTON

From one thudtastic British actor onto the next! I’m proud to announce Mr James Thornton as this week’s featured doodler! Isn’t he thudworthy? (look at the picture to your right!).

Please, take a moment or two to enjoy the thudworthiness that is, James Thornton!

James was born 31st October 1975 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England -- by my calculation that makes him 30 something years old! His star sign is Scorpio and according to the Chinese Zodiac he’s a Rabbit! He married “Gavin and Stacey” actress Joanna Page on 6th December, 2003.

It was way back in 1997 that James first appeared on our screens in Emmy Award nominated (for “Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Movie) Forbidden Territory: Stanley's Search for Livingstone.

It was the following year, 1998, when we finally saw James on our screens again firstly in Playing the Field (a drama about the on-the-field trials and tribulations and the off-the-field lives, loves and infidelities of 'The Castlefield Blues', an under funded, badly managed ladies football team) and then, Among Giants, a romantic comedy from the writer of "The Full Monty".

1999 started off with James appearing in Plunkett & Macleane followed by The Lakes, in which he appeared in 14 episodes of the series, which gave many of his adoring female fans some thoroughly thudtastic moments!

From that moment on it’s been nothing but onwards and upwards for James Thornton with very little time off our screens. He had reoccurring appearances on shows such as, Red Cap (he played SSgt. Philip 'Hippie' Roper), No Angels (his character was Marcus), Dalziel and Pascoe (Hugh Shadwell), Holby Blue (he played PC Jake Loughton – thud! Oh, how we all love a man in uniform!) and of course he was in Between The Sheets (alongside Richard Armitage) playing Simon Delany. James will play another policeman in Breathe which is currently in post-production.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank James for his doodling talent and agreeing to help Team Armitage to continue to raise vital funds and awareness for Cancer Research UK.

Thanks James!

You can buy James’ doodles on several products from the Team Armitage Celebrity Doodle Store. Tom Riley's doodles (last week's featured doodler!) are still on sale too! All monies raised from the sale of these goods will be donated to Cancer Research UK (via a cheque made payable to the charity).

For a complete list of James’ work please visit IMDB.

Sexy Calendar Girls Pose For Cancer Awareness Calendar

I thought, after the thoroughly "thudtastic Tomtastic" blog I should do something for the guys. After all, Team Armitage does not want to be accused of being sexist!!!

Enter stage right: The Team Armitage Calendar Girls!

To wet your appetite (and by that I really mean, here's a taster if you want to see the rest you need to buy the calendar -- hey, it's all for Cancer Research UK after all!) I'm proud to introduce:

Miss April!

(check out her picture to the left -- phwoar!)

Miss A (as she likes to be called) is a graduate and holds a BA in Biochemistry. Her interests are: Shopping, listening to music and hanging out with friends. Her ambition is to have world peace and a cure for cancer.

Miss April proudly features "Bowel Cancer Awareness Month" and "Cancer Control Month". Bowel Cancer Awareness is a UK event focusing on the treatment and prevention of bowel cancer. Cancer Awareness Month is a US event and as the name suggests, the month will highlight the prevention of various cancers.

Next is Miss November, (that's her on the left -- what a hottie!) or Novie as her friends and family like to affectionately call her. Miss November -- Novie -- is a "student of the world". Her favourite TV quote is from Lost In Austen:

"You mean there really *are* ladies who... steer the punt from the Cambridge end?"

And she's proud to admit that she's well and truly been "Rileyed" and thinks Tom Riley is absolutely thudtastic! Just like Miss April, she too would like world peace and a cure for cancer.

Novie proudly supports "Lung Cancer Awareness Month" and "Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month".

As a special treat, the Team Armtiage Calender Girls got together and did a "Vanity Fair" cover and for one time only, the girls can be seen all together in one special sitting.

If you like what you see (and I'm sure that you do!) the calender is available for sale in the Team Armitage Doodle Shop! All monies raised from the sale of the TEAM ARMITAGE CANCER AWARENESS CALENDAR 2009 will go direct to Cancer Research UK.

I would like to say a very special thank you to the Calendar Girls who ALL took time out of their very hectic schedules to pose for us.

Thanks Gals!

This Week's Featured Doodler: TOM RILEY

This week’s featured doodler is, Tom Riley!

Who is Tom Riley?

Probably one of the best looking guys on television at this point in time! Of course, that is just my humble opinion (one I’m sure you’ll agree with judging by his drop dead gorgeous picture to the left -- thanks Tom for the use of the picture!) Take a moment to “thud” before reading on…

Finished? Don’t worry, you can return to thudding in just a moment!

Tom was born, 5th April 1981 (which makes him an Aries and 28 years old!). He was born in Maidstone, Kent, which is in England.

2006 was the year which saw Tom hitting our screens when he appeared as David in A Few Days in September (aka Quelques jours en septembre) a drama about the disappearance of an American C.I.A. agent holding top secret information on the immediate future of the world.

A Few Days in September wasn’t the only time we got to “thud” over Tom on our screens. He appeared in Casualty 1906 (an innovative hospital drama that plunges the viewer into the Receiving Room (today's A&E) of the London hospital deep in the teeming East End) as Dr James Walton.

In 2007 he was rarely off our screens, not that you would have heard anyone complaining, after all, his roles in I Want Candy, Freezing, Marple: Ordeal By Innocence (alongside Richard Armitage, the actor NOT the politician!), and Return To House on Haunted Hill, were just more opportunities to see this very talented young actor in action.

Little did we realise, as 2008 began, that we would soon be hit with Wickhamtasticness (a phrase coined by Tormented Space from the Darcylicious forum) but first, before we all could begin to spend many hours discussing Wickhamtasticness we were again treated to watching Tom in, Freezing, followed by Lewis, Casualty 1907 and Agatha Christie: Poirot.

Back to Wickhamtasticness!

What is Wickhamtasticness? Watch Lost In Austen, a unique take on Jane Austen’s much loved (and much adapted) Pride and Prejudice to know what is meant by Wickhamtasticness.

Apart from how thudtastic Tom looks in Wickham’s uniform, I think (again, this is just my opinion) what made Tom’s “Wickham” more appealing is the way he played the character. Tom gave his Wickham an air of vulnerability and loneliness, yet while at the same time being roguishly boyish and humorous (oh, and did I mention good looking in Wickham’s uniform? Oh, I see I did!).

We will not have to wait long to see Tom on our screens again. Just like the previous three years, 2009 is shaping up to be a busy one for him. Curiosity is due for release this year and Happy Ever Afters is currently in post-production.

Yet, despite how busy Tom is he still took time out to lend Team Armitage his “doodling” talent to help us raise vital funds and awareness for Cancer Research UK.

You can buy Tom’s doodles on several products from the Team Armitage Celebrity Doodle Store. All monies raised from the sale of these goods will be donated to Cancer Research UK (via a cheque made payable to the charity).

Team Armitage would like to say a huge and warm thank you to TOM RILEY for his generosity. The sale of his doodles will go a long way to helping Cancer Research UK find a cure for Cancer.

Thanks Tom!

If you would like to find out more about Tom and or want to indulge in some thudtastic drooling over him, then DARCYLICIOUS is the place to be! Oh, and you may want to check out the TOM RILEY LIVE JOURNAL COMMUNITY and the TOM RILEY FANSITE as well.

Celebrity Doodles For Sale!

The new Team Armitage Fundraising Store is now open! It's a new year meaning I've cleared out the Christmas stock and jammed the shelves with brand new stuff -- the "stuff" being Celebrity Doodles! I've even decided to get into "blogging" and here were are -- new year, new shop and a brand spanking new blog!

OK, so what's the deal with CELEBRITY DOODLES being in the TEAM ARMITAGE Fundraising Store?

Simple.

In July 2008, I started to contact actors and actress' who have appeared alongside actor, Richard Armitage (he's the one the "team" is named after!) as I wanted to keep the "Richard" connection and asked them if they would like to draw a "doodle" to help the team raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK.

To be honest, I really wasn't expecting anyone to respond, well, maybe one or two and no more. However, the response has been, and continues to be, overwhelming and actually bought a tear to my eye. The "celebrities" have been extremely generous with their time and talent and their works of art are for sale in the Celebrity Doodle section of the Team Armitage Cafepress Shop.

What else can be found in the store?

Loads of stuff!

The Racing 4 Life range features all of the Team Armitage team stuff. Because TA has members from all corners of the globe(!) it's not possible for all of us to be there on Race Day (Cancer Research UK's Race For Life) but you can show your support (and team membership!) by wearing a t-shirt (among other things!).

The other ranges include: IT'S 2009, STANDING UP TO CANCER and I BOUGHT THIS...

New doodle's will be added through out the year, so keep checking.

Help raise money for Cancer Research UK by buying a CELEBRITY DOODLE!