On September 16th I will start my cycling challenge (nightmare) from London to Paris. I'll be starting off from the Ronald Macdonald House in Camberwell, London and my first day will see me sweating and grunting my way over the 77 miles and killer hills of the south to Dover. My 2nd and 3rd days will be in France and I'll cover 177 miles there until finally finishing at the Eiffel Tower.
I chose this challenge as for me cycling has always been pretty hellish and quite frankly I know more about quantum physics than I do bikes. To make it even more of a challenge I'm doing this completely alone with no support crew which means I'm having to learn everything I can about bike maintenance and organise all my own routes, channel crossings and accommodation. I'll be paying for this all myself so all money you donate will go directly to the charity.
So why am I fundraising for RMHC? Well, Paul, Miranda and Sam Rowlands are very dear friends of mine, and this is their story:
Alice Mary Rowlands was born six weeks early on 25 September 2007 at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. It was soon apparent that Alice was very seriously ill, which was devastating news for Paul, Miranda and Sam, who was just 6.
Alice had Neonatal Haemochromatosis – an extremely rare liver condition. She had acute liver failure and urgently needed a transplant if she was to survive. Alice was transferred to King's College Hospital in London at 5 days old and Paul, Miranda and Sam rushed to London to be with her. After a very traumatic time of trying to find accommodation near to the hospital, they were supported by RMHC and were provided with a room in the Ronald Macdonald House at Camberwell. This provided them with a comfortable and well equipped place to stay as a family, and the staff were hugely supportive to them.
Tragically, Alice died aged 15 days. Ever since, Team Rowlands have raised money in her name which they have donated to RMHC, and they have done amazingly, raising almost £50,000 so far.
Please support me in my challenge so that RMHC can continue to support families with children in hospital. There are 2 ways you can support. Donate directly through this page, or contact me directly to join a 50/50 club. This will require an upfront payment of £30 and every month for 6 months a draw will be made (so your £30 equates to £5 a month). Half of the money each month will go to the charity and half to the winners. If we can get 100 people to do this there will be 5 winners of £50 a month, so you have a great chance of winning back more than you put in.
Thanks so much for any amount of money you spare, I appreciate it more than you could know.
Kirst x
