Last year we lost a good friend , great father , husband and brother-in-law when David died of colon cancer at the age of 57. 

David was very active in retirement right up until he became ill, walking the local hills most day with his dogs or fishing at Loch Kindar. He was also a keen swimmer and coached kids at the Dumfries Dolphins for many years. So it felt even more frustrating that a fit young man should be struck so suddenly and tragically.

When David was diagnosed with cancer we were contacted by Claire, the Macmillan clinical nurse, she offered us all the support we needed at the time. We have a wonderful Macmillan Centre at our local hospital and the staff couldn’t have done more for David when he was receiving treatment. However there is always a need for more nurses as we discovered when our nurse was on holiday and the nurse covering for her was 70 miles away.

David died after a very short illness but he would want us to support Macmillan so that other families could get the support they needed at such a devastating time in their lives.

So Alistair came up with the idea of us competing in the Caledonia Etape cycle race to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support in David's memory.

It's a tough , hilly 81 mile course starting in Pitlochry , passing Loch Tummel , Loch Rannoch and Loch Tay before finishing back at Pitlochry.

On May 16th , Alistair , Bill and I will do our best to get round the course in the 6 hours that the road is closed....but we'll have lights on the bikes...just in case !!

Check back here after the event for some action shots.

For now you can check out the route and other stuff at http://etapecaledonia.co.uk

Why Macmillan ?

Every day 822 people in the UK are told they have cancer. By donating to Macmillan Cancer Support you are providing vital support to thousands of people affected by cancer every day. Macmillan use your donations to provide expert medical care, practical and emotional support, financial support and advice to those affected by cancer.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the Macmillan and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now to this very worthwhile cause.