Thank you for visiting our page! On Sunday 4 December, 2011 Team Synergy -Greg’s Gang took part in the very challenging Dorking Surrey Hills Sportive in order to raise money for St Christophers Hospice, a great charity which is very close to our hearts Synergy riders Robert Ebdon, Declan Gleeson, Neil Walters and Gill Macquarie were joined by Tim Goodwin from Network Housing; Andy Mytom from David Morley Architects; Malcolm Clarke from Baxall Construction Ltd; Oluchi Uduku from Kings College London; and Mark Christodoulou, Head of Leisure in Islington and one of Synergy’s clients. The route involved climbing hills, more hills and …… you guessed it ……. more hills! With a few minutes of leaving the start we were climbing Bury Hill and within 6 miles were climbing the steep escarpment up White Downs to reach Ranmore Common. A slight navigational error saw Malcolm and Declan careering down Denbies Hill towards Dorking but Andy, our ‘King of the Mountains’ Etape L´Alpe d´Huez champion set off in hot pursuit to fetch ‘em back. So a few extra miles cycled by those three. After a hilly 13-mile loop we cycled back down the escarpment trying to control our speed so we did not come to grief on the hair-pin bend! Once over the A25 we cycled through some beautiful areas to Cranleigh and eventually a final major climb up Leith Hill and through Abinger Forest back to the start. Declan’s on-bike computer recorded that we had climbed 4445 feet on the ride which is higher than Britain’s highest mountain - Ben Nevis! Robert’s on-bike computer reckons we used over 3500 calories and that gave us the excuse to demolish roast dinners, curry and Oluchi’s Mum’s chicken supper that evening at our respective homes. Overall, a fun day and a great team effort with heaps of mutual support and encouragement. Greg and Gill are so touched by everyone’s kindness and want to say a big thank you to a fantastic team for both their riding and fund-raising efforts and to everyone who has contributed to the fund-raising for St.Christopher’s. Some of you may know Gill Macquarie, one of Synergy's Project Managers based in our London office. Gill's partner Greg was diagnosed with an aggressive Grade IV brain tumour the day before Christmas Eve 2010 and during 2011 has had surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In June he was admitted to St.Christopher’s Hospice for palliative care but after 9-weeks of great care was able to return home - where he wanted to be. He is now being cared for by his family and Gill and also supported by the hospice. St Christopher’s Hospice exists to promote and provide skilled and compassionate palliative care of the highest quality. Their vision is of a world in which all dying people and those close to them have access to appropriate care and support, when they need it, wherever they need it and whoever they are. St.Christopher’s serve a diverse population of 1.5 million people in the London boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, reaching some of England’s most deprived areas. All care is provided free of charge and is delivered in a range of settings including patients’ own homes, four inpatient wards and an Anniversary Centre. Care is delivered by coordinated teams of specialist doctors and nurses; physiotherapists and occupational therapists; social workers and welfare support workers and also includes adult bereavement services; psychiatrist support; arts and complementary therapies; spiritual and religious care; and specialist support for bereaved children. It costs over £14 million every year to deliver all of the Hospice services but only about one third of income comes from the NHS. The remaining £9million has to be raised from grants, legacies, local businesses, trusts, through their charity shops and from fundraising event. 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 and raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity. So please dig deep and donate now. THANKYOU.
