FINAL UPDATE... 20 October
I'm pleased to say that I successfully completed the ride on 11 October, and after a couple of days visiting Orkney (it seemed a shame not to go there when I was so close) I have now returned safely to Oxford. Thanks to all of you who have sponsored me - I have achieved way beyond my original target - and who kept up with my Twitter feed. I'm happy to offer support and advice for anyone contemplating a similar ride!
FURTHER UPDATE... 30 September
I've now cycled as far as Lancaster, so I'm at about the halfway point. If you are interested in keeping up with my progress, I'm 'tweeting' regular messages each day at Twitter.com as 'BikeRideMatt'.
UPDATE… 20 September
I began the ride officially at lunchtime on 16 September, and by Friday evening had made it nearly to Exeter – which given the number of hills in Cornwall and Devon and my general lack of fitness I was quite pleased with. I've just had the weekend off for a prior commitment, but I'll be back in the saddle again tomorrow and carrying on from Devon straight up to John O'Groats for a finish some time in early October.
Many, many thanks to all of you who have donated so far – I have now surpassed my original target, so in a spirit of optimism I have raised it a bit further!
Hi all,
as I've some spare time on my hands at the moment, this month (Sept '09) I'm finally getting around to something I've wanted to do for over a decade - cycle 'end to end' from Land's End to John O'Groats.
As it's a fair old distance (roughly 1000 miles), several people suggested I should get sponsored for it. Also, as I'm doing it on my own, knowing that I have people who have backed me assuming that I will finish should also help overcome those moments when the temptation to give up might get the better of me.
I've chosen to raise funds for the charity Practical Action (formerly Intermediate Technology) which works in partnership with poor people and their communities in several countries, building on their own knowledge and skills to come up with solutions to problems in areas such as renewable energy, food production, sustainable transport, water, and climate change adaptation.
Finally, here's some official blurb about this website that you ought to know about:
"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 charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate, by raising more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity. So please dig deep and donate now."
Cheers!
Matthew.
