6th March - Hi everyone and apologies for the delay in this update. Thank you all so much for your amazing support and generosity to date – it really did help me to keep going - what an amazing week! Team work, camaraderie, mind over matter and IPA also assisted greatly.
We had our fair share of bumps and scrapes, but no serious injuries were sustained as we battled through atrocious weather – cold, torrential rain and strong headwinds. We covered a few more miles than we were supposed to as a result of getting lost and ending up in Boulogne when we should have been at Calais for the Eurotunnel crossing back to UK – we made it just in time and then felt really important when we had closed roads and Police escorts when we arrived back in UK and headed for Folkestone Rugby Club.
Meeting Prince Harry at Twickenham at the end was an unexpected highlight and brought to a fitting end a week I will never ever forget – would I do it again – you bet!!
Once again, thank you all for your support – I’ve exceeded my target of £3000 but I don’t intend to stop yet, so if you haven’t already sponsored me, then don’t be afraid! The more we raise, the better – there are loads of really deserving causes who will be eternally grateful.
Thanks
The world appears these days to be so full of “bad”, with many far less fortunate than ourselves and facing levels of adversity we can’t even begin to relate to, even in our wildest dreams. Not often, then, does a challenge come along which gives us all an opportunity to make a difference, however big or small, but the Dallaglio Cycle Challenge is it!
I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to be one of the 25 strong Greene King team taking part in the Paris to Twickenham leg (410km over 4 days) between 22-26 Feb 2010, when we can be certain the weather will be kind to us! We aim to raise zillions for the Dallaglio Foundation Charities ( http://www.dallagliofoundation.com/ ), all of which are incredibly worthwhile causes.
The courage and conviction of so many of those we hope to help should be an inspiration to us all, for when we think it’s tough, it isn’t. I feel incredibly humble when I think of all those men and women in our armed forces who are prepared to sacrifice their lives for you and me, and who too often end up in a world which must seem, to us at least, a living hell worse than death. Their courage, perseverance and sheer determination to overcome their injuries will be a defining and sustaining encouragement to me on the ride when I’m struggling. If these heroes are prepared to lay down their lives for me, the least I can do is give a little back. Cancer is another emotive subject which rarely fails to touch us all in some form or another, but the sheer dogged determination of everyone involved to beat it, whether it be sufferers or researchers, has to be up there at the front as well, although almost certainly, I won’t be! Lest we forget, the other charities are also equally deserving in their own right.
Individually, we can only make a small difference, but collectively we can make it huge by not only being generous with our contributions but also in promoting and highlighting the work of the charities themselves – my minimum target is to raise £1000, but that’s piffling! With your help, we can raise shed loads more so lets not set an upper limit, just set ourselves a target of continuously raising more!
Please therefore pass on and tell your family and friends, your work colleagues, your employer and anyone else for that matter about this tremendous event and it’s beneficiaries – I will give it my all (and hopefully 2 stone and maybe even a beard! ), but I’m only asking you to give a “bit” – whether it’s a ”big bit” or a “small bit” is up to you, but please give a “bit” and persuade everyone else to do the same – lots of deserving people will be very, very, very grateful, least of all me.
Thank you so much.
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 - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
