UPDATE: WE DID IT!!!!! 

Just over 300 miles in just under 4 days. A very challenging but rewarding experience! There is still time to donate if you'd like to. Thank you to everyone for all your support, it really does mean a lot.

Background:

2010 is the year of the Ultimate Challenge! Well, it is for me. I will be undertaking a series of different challenges this year including sky diving, free abseiling, and ice climbing. However, the highlight and main focus is to cycle from London to Paris in September, a distance of over 300 miles in just 4 days! Given the enormity of the challenge, I wanted to give myself some additional motivation and use it to help make a difference.

Charity:

I am cycling in aid of Helen & Douglas House - it was their leaflet which gave me the idea! It is a charity in my local area and does fantastic work providing respite, emergency and end of life care for children and young adults with life-shortening conditions, as well as help and support for the whole family. It costs over £4.5million a year to run Helen & Douglas House, 90% of which is funded by voluntary contributions.

It's a bit of a cliché to say that ALL donations count, no matter how large or small, but to put it into perspective:

£20 to open the bar - yes, really a bar! £20 opens the bar on a Saturday night at Douglas House and give guests a place to relax - there's even a jukebox!

£105 for a nurse for the day - this allows H&D House to provide essential one to one care for their guests

£300 siblings group - these groups are run for the brothers and sisters of the children and young adults who stay at H&D House and offers them a chance to meet others in similar situations and to share experiences in a safe and fun environment.

So you can see that every penny really does count and make a difference.

The Challenge:

London to Paris in 4 days! 

Day 1: We start from Blackheath Common and head through rural Kent, across the North Downs and to Dover where we catch a ferry (cycling on water really would  be a challenge!). Distance approx 85 miles.

Day 2: We're into French countryside leaving Calais and ending up in Arras after about 95 miles.

Day 3: We continue South through villages to the forested area around Compeigne, covering about 80 miles.

Day 4: Home stretch as we leave the countryside and head into Paris (I'm more worried about the Parisian traffic than the tired legs at this point!!). We'll go around the Arc de Triomphe before finishing up underneath the Eiffel Tower. Last day's distance is around 57miles.

The Blog:

I've started a blog to keep a record of my progress and you can keep up to date with how training is going:

http://chapperschallenge2010.blogspot.com/

Thank you for taking the time to read my JustGiving page. Please dig deep and donate whatever you can to support Helen & Douglas House and keep me out there training! Please tell your friends and colleagues too - I've got a big target to reach and I'd really appreciate everyone's help! THANK YOU!