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Target: £1,000.00
Raised so far: £855.00
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My story

 

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This year brings the double milestone of my 60th birthday and retirement from my work as a teacher of outdoor education at Pendarren House. My cycling buddies were looking for a project and we decided on Lands End to John O'Groats ( Le Jog ), the ultimate challenge for British cyclists. A group of nine will be setting out at the end of August, hoping to complete the ride in 13 days. Fundraising is not the primary objective but it is an opportunity to benefit good causes as we celebrate significant moments in our lives. I have chosen to support the Bendrigg Trust, a charity which provides outdoor activites for disabled and disadvantaged young people. Its residential centre, Bendrigg Lodge is situated on the edge of the Lake District, near to where I grew up. My target of £1,000 is approximately £1 for every mile cycled.

The Ride

Well we made it, but only just. The weather nearly did for us. It rained on 11 of the13 days of our trip, with the penultimate day seeing us at Inverness as a months' rain fell in 24 hours. Flooding in nearby Elgin made the national news. To add insult to injury, not a drop of rain has fallen in the fortnight since we returned!

It was however a great trip. The route was fantastic: hostels varied and interesting: food substantial and people hospitable,considering the chaos 9 soaking cyclists can cause. Being a large group created some logistic and organisational problems but these were far outweighed by the mutual support and humour which kept us going through the wind and rain.

We had organised everything ourselves and it was satisfying to see the planning come to fruition without any major hitches. The trip would not have happened without the generousity of Graham, who lent us the van,and our 3 support teams of Callum, Vanessa & Matt and Gavin, who drove ( and much more ) Many thanks to them.

Some Statistics

Training before the ride      3,263 miles                                                                                                                           

The ride itself                      1,026 miles over 13 days

Average                                79 miles/day at 13 mph

Longest day                        Carlisle - Ayr    98 miles

Calories burned whilst riding            53,029

Calorific value of cake eaten            53,029  

There were many highlights on the ride. Crossing Dartmoor; riding up a deserted Cheddar Gorge at 8-30 in the morning; the Severn bridge in high winds; the forest of Bowland, Lancashire; Gretna Green in the pouring rain; the Galloway hills; riding down Glencoe on the morning the schools started back in England and Wales; eventually reaching John O'Groats and stopping!

Finally a big "thank you" to everyone who sponsored me. Your generosity will enable others to enjoy similar challenges and to experience living and working together at Bendrigg Lodge.                                                                                                      

Donation by Gordon Allan 28/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Well done Dave. What a great way to raise money for a good cause. Donation by Martin Pingel 25/09/09  

£10.00

Can I suggest a car or train next time? Quick and easy Donation by Tom Lemmey 24/09/09  

You must have finished by now unless you got sidetracked by some hills. Hope it went well and see you around. Donation by Steven Williams 14/09/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Hope the ride is going well. We will miss you. Best wishes from the Butcher family. Donation by Margaret Butcher 08/09/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Well done Dave, amazing ride. Everything went so well because of the great organization!!!...and we didn't get sunburnt at all. Donation by Diane & Wayne Poulton 08/09/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Donation by Chris Milne 03/09/09  

£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid

Good luck and what a way to start a no doubt energetic re-tire-ment! Donation by matthew bourne 01/09/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Dear Dave, thanks for all of your support at Pendarren, hope your expedition goes well and enjoy your retirement! From everyone at LD team Donation by Kaljit Maan 26/08/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Best of luck with the adventure (hope you've not got James planning the navigating for you)! Donation by Jon Williams 24/08/09  

£15.00 + £4.23 Gift Aid

Hope the weather & the hills are in our favour all the way! Donation by Bill & Pam 21/08/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Dave - thank you for doing so much of the organisation for this ride. Let's hope the train is on time! Donation by Richard and Jo McCulloch 20/08/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Hi Dave - is it just you and Bill & Pam that are fundraising? I'll be thinking of you and hope to see you next Wednesday Donation by Nick 20/08/09  

£15.00 + £4.23 Gift Aid

David, Good luck - hope it goes well.... Donation by Nick Miller 20/08/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Good luck with the ride. Lets hope the sun shines. Donation by Gwyn Smith 20/08/09  

£5.00 + £1.41 Gift Aid

I hope you enjoy the ride. I'm sure the experience gained from an epic ride with a bunch of hungover city boys will stand you in good stead. Donation by Andy Williams 20/08/09  

£30.00 + £8.46 Gift Aid

Retirement gift from my friends at Pendarren. Thank you all very much Donation by Dave H 20/08/09  

£70.00 + £19.74 Gift Aid

good luck mr h!! enjoy your retirement.thanks for everything. Donation by nick curtis 19/08/09  

£5.00 + £1.41 Gift Aid

All the very best Mr H! It'll be brilliant. I can't wait til I retire!! Take care Donation by Crystal Patton 30/07/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

All the very best luck for the ride and have a happy retirement. Coast to coast next year!! Donation by Chris and Colin 30/07/09  

£40.00 + £11.28 Gift Aid

Good luck dad, just make sure that you beat Bill.... Donation by James Hayhurst 29/07/09  

£100.00 + £28.21 Gift Aid

Good luck and enjoy the ride! Donation by Nick Brier 22/07/09  

£30.00 + £8.46 Gift Aid

Good Luck from your support team!!!! Donation by Ness & Matt 19/07/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Glad to support you! Have a great time Donation by Claire Durrant 17/07/09  

£30.00 + £8.46 Gift Aid

Donation by Anonymous 17/07/09  

£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid

Enjoy the ride! Donation by Melissa Power 16/07/09  

£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid

Enjoy the ride and your retirement love Aileen & James Donation by James Churchill 09/07/09  

£30.00 + £8.46 Gift Aid

Good luck to you and the team, and have a great retirement. Thanks for all your help. Donation by ian 06/07/09  

£100.00 + £28.21 Gift Aid

Fantastic idea. Hope it goes well Donation by Toby Heppenstall 06/07/09  

£10.00
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* Total raised online: £740.00
  Offline donations: £115.00
  Gift Aid plus supplement: £203.08

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