Give it up for our Rockall Ho! 2005 charity appeal

The time has come for you, beloved readers of The Rockall Times, to flash the plastic and give back a little something in return for the hours of free merriment we have provided over the last three years.

Yup, we've always avoided the subscription model, which is why you get top-quality North Atlantic satire delivered each and every week to your favoured computing device without the need to prise open your wallet. Indeed, as you read this from the comfort of an executive leather recliner, our tireless contributors toil away without hope of remuneration while their mewling infant children eat cardboard moistened with tap water.

You get the picture. In summary, it's "let's hire a boat and go to Rockall for charity" time again. Regular readers will recall our dramatic 2003 assault on the sacred islet which ended thus: North Atlantic 1: Rockall Times 0.

Of course, we're not the sort of people who have one crack at Rockall and then go down the pub to mutter ancient nautical curses about the damn weather. Well actually we are, but after 10 pints it seemed like a jolly good idea to hose down the wetsuits, polish the grappling irons and have another bash at the world's remotest islet.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Rockall Ho! 2005 in aid of the MEdia initiative of Mental Health Media. What is MEdia? We asked Mental Health Media the same thing and this is what they told us: "Switching the TV on and off. Surfing the net. Seeing realistic role models in weekly mags. Sending an /Angry of Tunbridge Wells/ or /Delighted of Stoke Newington/ letter to the local paper. Putting up a website tribute to Cher. Most of us take for granted that we can enjoy these simple pleasures, but for people with learning difficulties there are considerable barriers to each of these activities."

Good show. There are more details on what MEdia does right here, and on the MEdia website.

And if you want more information on our campaign, then peruse in shock and awe our fearless team, gasp at our audacious assault plan and applaud our marvellous corporate sponsors.

Here's how you can support Rockall Ho! 2005:

1. Make a personal donation on our dedicated page at Justgiving.com. UK donations benefit from an extra 28 per cent which Justgiving claws back from the Inland Revenue, which can't be bad. The cash raised here goes straight to Mental Health Media.
2. Make a donation by cheque or postal order. Make it payable to Mental Health Media and send it to:
   Attn: Marion Janner
   Mental Health Media
   356 Holloway Road
   London
   N7 6PA
3. Buy one of our magnificent Rockall Ho! 2005 crest t-shirts (see artwork below) — a snip at £12.76 (£14.99 inc VAT) and available right now in sizes ranging from medium to XXL. For that matter, buy any of our t-shirts, because all of the profits go to offsetting the truly awe-inspiring cost of mounting a nautical adventure on this scale.
4. And speaking of the costs, if you're a corporate outfit with a bit of cash floating about and a generous disposition, then consider joining our illustrious list of corporate sponsors who have helped us out in the finance and/or kit department.

There are more details on all of the above here. Remember — we don't want your money for ourselves, we want you to help us to help others. In return, we'll continue to hammer away at our keyboards until such time that the world is a fairer, better and generally more agreeable place to live. Or until the heat death of the universe, whichever comes sooner. Thanks for your support.

That Rockall Ho! 2005 crest in full