Story
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks for taking the time to visit my charity page. This year I am taking part in a ride from Champagne to The Rhone organised by Mentzendorf in support of the Benevolent fund. The route will cover 570 km (360 miles) in four days. </span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am aware that this may seem a bit soft after last year’s efforts in the Pyrenees, and so in order to encourage you to make another donation; I have decided to extend the ride by riding the 280 miles from Basingstoke to Champagne in the days prior to the organised charity ride. So the total distance will be <strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">642 miles over a seven day</strong> period. I will be raising money for both the <strong>Benevolent fund and St Michael’s Hospice</strong>. (Your donation will be split equally between the two).</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: small;">My itinerary is:</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 1: Thursday 18.00 - An evening departure (after work) from Basingstoke to catch the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen. (60 miles)</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 2: Caen to Gisors (171 km / 106 miles)</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 3: Gisors to Chateau Thierry (137 km / 86 miles)</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 4: An easy ride to Ay in Champagne (48 km / 30 miles)</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 5: Breakfast Departure from Bollinger for the 125km (78 miles) to Bar-sur-Aube, a pretty flat day through Champagne. </span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 6: Bar-sur-Aube to Ecutigny 170km (106 miles) and there will be hills as we have to get onto the higher escarpment of Burgundy .</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 7: Ecutigny to Pizay (30km south of Macon in Beaujolais) a 140km (88 mile) day down through the Cote de Beaune, Maconnais, which should be really nice and rolling.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 8: Pizay to Condrieu is 90km skirting around the west of Lyon avoiding the high hills and the city itself...... we will drop into the Rhone Valley at Condrieu and then have another 50km to go along the river to Tain L'Hermitage....... so a nice 140km to end the ride, hopefully arriving before the 18.00 deadline! </span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black;">The Benevolent was founded in 1886 to make a real difference to the daily lives of those who have worked in the Drinks Industry and now need help. Today, The Benevolent helps more than 500 people from across the Industry, providing one off or regular financial grants, sheltered accommodation, care home facilities, advice, support and friendship. <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(</em></span><em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;">Charity <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Registration</span> No 1023376).</span></em></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: small;">St. Michael's Hospice is hugely important to the patients of North Hampshire. Through your generosity I have raised over £14,000 for the hospice in the last four years. The Hospice relies upon charitable donations and is a vital provider of specialist palliative and supportive care for patients in North Hampshire. (<em>Charity Registration No 1002856).</em> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12pt;">Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving; they will never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they will send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it is the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charities, So please dig deep and donate now.</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.5pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alternatively, send a cheque to me at The Hampshire Clinic, made payable to “the Benevolent fund” or “St Michael’s Hospice”, together with your name, home address and postcode if you wish to Gift Aid your donation. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Lucida Handwriting"; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Jonathan</span></p>
<p> </p>