Quick stops

Portsmouth and Leeds have both sent letters of rejection. Portsmouth was a simple blanket response that only mentions the donation side of things and Leeds was just confirming the 'no' that they gave me via email last week. It's a shame Pompey have been as poor as they have. I've not been to Fratton Park before but the lack of customer service and ability to reply to the many, many emails i've sent to different people in different departments, has left me feeling that I'm really not overly bothered.

Bristol City sent a letter that arrived on Friday. Very friendly and helpful and even agreeing for us to gain access to the ground despite the fact we'll be at Ashton Gate pre 8am. Plymouth have allowed access as have Carlisle and QPR, whilst Aston Villa have given us entry to the stadium and the offer of free tickets to the reserve team game they have at Villa Park the evening we're there.
Millwall are donating a signed pennant and if feasibly possible on the day will allow access to the ground for photos.

Over the weekend, my Dad and I sorted the car hire out. We'd been debating the best company to go with for a long time and had all but decided to plump for a half hearted effort from Europcar. They'd delayed and delayed making us an offer and eventually gave us a quote that was higher than the original on line quote. However, it was still slightly cheaper than we'd found anywhere else. Until, AVIS emailed us saying that they'd love to help and were willing to do anything they could to help. They beat the initial quotes from other companies but, in some cases, £100-£150! Their service and the friendliness of the manager (I only know him as Chris) simply blew the others out of the water. We're very grateful for the help they've given us!