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Home to Cycling Challenge/ La Grande Sfida

There's over twenty three of us with one mission: Cycle over 1,000 miles from Home to Rome to raise as much money as possible to help our injured servicemen and women compete in international ski competitions with the aim of making it to the 2014 Winter Paralympics.

We set off on Saturday 15 May 2010 from Luton and will take two weeks to reach our final destination: Rome.

It's all in aid of the Combined Services Disabled Ski Team (CSDST) which rehabilitates injured servicemen and women supporting their dreams of getting to the paralympics, but above all, its about looking after our heroes who have been injured protecting freedom and democracy for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Royal Marine Pete Dunning and Captain Martin Hewitt will be taking part and cycling sections of the journey to prove that a disability needn't restrict your life. Pete lost both of his legs in a mine blast in Afghanistan and will be taking part in a specially adapted hand bicycle and Martin was injured after he was shot through the shoulder joint damaging nerves and dramatically impairing mobility in the limb.  (Update - Sergeant Mick Brennan from the Royal Signals will also be taking  joining the team on the trip. Mick was wounded in Iraq and lost both legs above the knee in a suicide bomb blast. Mick competes as part of the CSDST as a mono skier).   

So who are the rest of us? We're a motley crew from all over the UK and Italy united with a common aim. Many of us work for companies within the Finmeccanica Group who are helping organise events to raise money but we are also from the Ski Club of Great Britain and the CSDST. 

In a nutshell we are:

Team Cyclists: Steve Rose, Jack Taylor,Terry Bonnett, Andy Jenkinson, Gary Halliday, Brad Crawshaw, Steve Christie, Tom Dearden, Alan Shillitoe, Roger Hones, Pier Antonio Catella, Domenico Cairola, Pete Dunning, Martin Hewitt, Mick Brennan, Helen Buchannan, Bronwyn Brook, Mick Brennan.  

Support drivers: Jacquie Lawrence-Swan, Andy Tyrell, Gruff Moriss, Jacqui Stones,  Col. David Eadie and Maj. Ian Large

A bit more info about the ski team and who it supports .....

The current CSDST team members are; Captain Martin Hewitt (Parachute Regiment) who was shot through the shoulder joint in Afghanistan and Corporal Pam Grainger (Royal Air Force) who lost the use of her right arm in a motorcycle accident – both of whom compete as a one-armed skiers; Sergeant Mick Brennan (Royal Signals) who lost both legs above the knee in a suicide-bomb blast in Iraq, Lance Corporal Pete Dunning (Royal Marines) who lost both legs in a mine blast in Afghanistan and Sergeant Stu Pearson (Parachute Regiment) who lost his left leg and right heel in multiple mine blasts in Afghanistan – all of whom compete as a mono-skiers; Trooper Stevie Shine (Royal Tank Regiment) who lost his left leg in an Improvised Explosive Device incident in Iraq, Lance Corporal Si Wiggins (Coldstream Guards) who lost his right leg in a mine explosion in Afghanistan – both of whom compete as 3-track skiers and Captain Bernie Bambury (Rifles) who lost his right foot in an accident on the Cresta run and competes as a 2-tracker. 

All of the members of the team have suffered horrific injuries, especially those wounded in action on operations.   They have all been through rehabilitation at , and now lead a largely independent life within the Forces.  Their progress to recovery, which can never be absolute, has been an enormously painful journey. The rehabilitation process at is incredibly taxing and those who have lost their lower limbs have had to learn to walk again using computer-controlled prosthetic legs. Thereafter they have had to learn to ski, a process in which falling over is infinitely more painful than it can ever be for an able-bodied skier.

 

Now that you know a bit more about us and what we're trying to achieve please donate some money to help ensure that the CSDST can continue to support our injured servicemen and women.  

La Grande Sfida

Il prossimo 15 maggio i membri della squadra Combined Services Disabled Ski assieme ad alcuni rappresentanti delle aziende Finmeccanica, inclusa SELEX Galileo, daranno il via ad una gara ciclistica di beneficenza Luton-Roma.


Dalla partenza in Inghilterra all’arrivo in Italia, la squadra correrà per un tragitto di oltre 1.600 chilometri e avrà bisogno di tutto il vostro supporto.


Le donazioni contribuiranno ad aiutare gli atleti disabili a continuare nel loro impegno sportivo nelle competizioni
sciistiche internazionali e nelle Paraolimpiadi Invernali del 2014.

 

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My gallery 8

My Teams

My company

My charity

The British Forces Foundation

The British Forces Foundation

Charity Registration No. 1075109

The British Forces Foundation boosts the morale of servicemen and women of our Armed Forces on the frontline and in operational theatres all over the world, primarily through high quality entertainment.

Donations 324

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Good luck Tom. Hope the Grand St Bernard is open, climb will be awesome.

Donation by Lindsay Rennie on 06/05/10

£10.00

+ £2.82 Gift Aid

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Good luck lads :)

Donation by Suzanne Bas on 06/05/10

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

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Is this an excuse for jack to wear lycra for a full two weeks? Good luck to all of you.

Donation by June on 06/05/10

£25.00

+ £7.05 Gift Aid

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Good Luck Roger. Enjoy the ride.

Donation by Simon Read on 06/05/10

£30.00

+ £8.46 Gift Aid

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Best of luck with the cycling!

Donation by John Skeffington on 06/05/10

£15.00

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Very best wishes, Roger.

Donation by Joan Trowell on 06/05/10

£10.00

+ £2.82 Gift Aid

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good luck to everyone!

Donation by Annie Begg on 06/05/10

£10.00

+ £2.82 Gift Aid

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Good luck Uncle Roger! See you soon, love Nicola x

Donation by Nicola Hoy on 05/05/10

£15.00

+ £4.23 Gift Aid

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Good Luck to you all..... Jack I expect you to be up the front and Christie try not to fall behind!! LOL 80 miles per day min... Im impressed!!!!

Donation by Tara Hearn on 05/05/10

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Hey Jack, What you need is a saddle with springs..... or a pillow

Donation by Chris Oakley on 05/05/10

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

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Donation by suzie graham on 05/05/10

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Best of luck Roger, I trust you have a comfy seat and padded shorts a plenty.

Donation by Stephen Lloyd - Vision Marketing on 05/05/10

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Well done to all involved. A very worthy cause. Special thanks to Steve Christie from Gas and all at MKRUFC.

Donation by gary spinks on 05/05/10

£25.00

+ £7.05 Gift Aid

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a very worth while donation, good luck to all involved . the cost of a few beers for us could change peoples lives . dig deap

Donation by ronnie barker EX RE on 05/05/10

£50.00

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Keep up the Good Work Mark. Ne Oublie

Donation by Eddie Graham on 04/05/10

£50.00

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Steve Christie, good luck but please take care we need you next season at Emerson Valley

Donation by John Silk on 04/05/10

£25.00

+ £7.05 Gift Aid

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Roger, hope you find plenty of "bike racks" on your epic journey!! A great cause to cycle for.

Donation by Duncan Evans on 04/05/10

£25.00

+ £7.05 Gift Aid

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To Roger Hones - Best of luck from everyone at Hargreaves lansdown.

Donation by Hargreaves Lansdown on 04/05/10

£150.00

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Good luck and well done for taking on this massive task. We hope the wind is behind you.

Donation by Everyone at Pudney Shuttleworth on 04/05/10

£25.00

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Good luck! Have fun on the downhills!

Donation by Verity Chambers on 03/05/10

£15.00

+ £4.23 Gift Aid

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Roger you are a truly amazing brother to do this and probably a bit mad too!

Donation by Janet Viner on 03/05/10

£30.00

+ £8.46 Gift Aid

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Best of luck to all of you.

Donation by Mark Johnson (Whitehall) on 02/05/10

£50.00

+ £14.10 Gift Aid

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Good Luck Everyone! Rememer to pack the Gaffer Tape Jenks...

Donation by Peter Chadwick on 02/05/10

£15.00

+ £4.23 Gift Aid

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Roger (Dad) I hope the training is going well. Enjoy and Good Luck, Ali xxxx

Donation by Alison Hones on 01/05/10

£30.00

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Hope you enjoy the experience - just go for Rome Brad - and the best of luck! Maman x

Donation by Barbara Crawshaw on 01/05/10

£50.00

+ £14.10 Gift Aid

Donation summary

  • * Online donations£9,291.16
  • Offline donations£1,200.00
  • Text donations£0.00
  • Total raised£10,491.16
  • Gift Aid£2,100.97

* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.