My story

Back in 1980 Matt was injured whilst training in the Army.  After an operation he was sent to RAF Chessington Rehabilitation Centre where he found himself amongst men from the Parachute Regiment injured in the Warrenpoint bombing and others with horrendous injuries.  It’s an experience he has never forgotten and, to this day, he wonders what happened to these men (and many others like them) and what support they received.  RAF Chessington did a fantastic job and Matt was back training within months and later found himself serving in Northern Ireland. 

Thirty years later, with men and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq with horrific injuries, Matt and Julia’s sons – Guy (16) and Tom (15) – asked if they could spend a fortnight of their summer holiday 2010 cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End in aid of Help for Heroes.   Matt thought it was such a fantastic idea he had better cycle with them.  The plan is for the entire family to leave Penzance for John O’Groats on July 9 and then leave John O’Groats for Land’s End on July 11th aiming to arrive back at Land's End on Saturday, July 24th.

Guy is a member of Penzance Wheelers cycle club, the Pirates rugby club and is a cross country runner for Cornwall so is super fit and ready to go.  Tom is Captain of St Just Boxing Club and has just completed a full rugby season and Ten Tors so is fully fit and ready to go.  Matt has joined Weight Watchers and lost 1.5 stone so far (with more to go) and is running in the mornings - the entire family is worried about him!!  If you see him struggling around West Penwith, sweating profusely on his bike, give him a cheer!!

Julia will be driving the backup campervan and the boys were concerned that she would get terribly bored waiting for them.  And so the idea of the “End to End Sweater” was born.  Designed by Tina Barrett and knitted in Cornish Organic Wool (obviously) the sweater will be cast on by Julia at John O’Groats and, all being well, she will be wearing it at Land’s End 13 days later.

Julia says she doesn't think she's ever knitted a sweater in such a short space of time and she's not a particularly fast knitter so can see knitting going on late into the night when the exhausted cyclists are snoring around her.  So far as we know, this has never been done before and we think getting the Guinness Record for the Largest Knitting Needles was a doddle compared to this challenge!

The boys’ school (The Bolitho School, Penzance) has kindly agreed to lend them a laptop and Julia is hoping to update her blog daily so you can follow their progress (both cycling and knitting) at www.knitwitspenzance.co.uk and then click on “Julia’s Blog”.

For more information, please contact Matt or Julia at Cornish Organic Wool Ltd (www.cornishorganicwool.co.uk) – info@cornishorganicwool.co.uk, Tel: (01736) 350905

 

My gallery 9

My Teams

My company

My charity

Help for Heroes

Help for Heroes

Charity Registration No. 1120920

Help for Heroes supports our wounded. Help for Heroes provides practical direct support to those servicemen and women wounded in the line of duty in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Donations 63

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We intended to send cash for your amazing JOGLE ride whilst it was a work in progress but failed miserably! Congratulations. Paul & Helen Berry

Donation by J Hopson on 07/01/11

£25.00

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Well done all of you - great cause. Love Gail & Simon

Donation by Simon Doddrell on 11/11/10

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

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Well done. How on Earth did you find time to do that and run the business (and the animals!)

Donation by Rita Taylor on 28/10/10

£10.00

+ £2.82 Gift Aid

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Well done guys, hopefully catch up soon Nick

Donation by Nicholas Harley on 20/08/10

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Well done guys frtom Chris & Diane from BFBS Forces Radio in Cyprus. We chatted whilst you passed through Devon. Top job!

Donation by Chris Pearson on 06/08/10

£10.00

+ £2.82 Gift Aid

Donation by Stephen Worhington on 03/08/10

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

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Wonderful achievement. Congratulations all round. What next?

Donation by Robin and Migs on 31/07/10

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Well done Matt - great cause

Donation by Dominic Fairman on 30/07/10

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

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Congratulations to you all - a fantastic achievement. Best wishes from David, Dawn, Alex & Will

Donation by David Bright on 30/07/10

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

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Well done you lot. A great achievement......not least the knitting!!!!!

Donation by Anne and Garth Jones on 28/07/10

£25.00

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Fantastic achievement!

Donation by Julian Cardew on 27/07/10

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

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Well done!!! x

Donation by Hannah Wallis on 27/07/10

£30.00

+ £8.46 Gift Aid

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Well done (fat) boys. Brilliant blog. We are not worthy....

Donation by The Williamssss on 26/07/10

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Well done - outstanding achievement!!!!!

Donation by The McFadden Family on 26/07/10

£100.00

+ £28.21 Gift Aid

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Donation by Kane Marvin on 25/07/10

£25.00

+ £7.05 Gift Aid

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Fantastic Hopson triumph. Love from john, jayne, connie and barney

Donation by john symons on 24/07/10

£50.00

+ £14.10 Gift Aid

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Staggering - well done.

Donation by Ian, Karen and Amy Fitter on 24/07/10

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SEE CARS!!

Donation by George Roper on 24/07/10

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

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Great effort from you all...it was good to see the photos and be reminded how Matt got the nickname 'Fruitbat'!

Donation by Giles Roper on 24/07/10

£100.00

+ £28.21 Gift Aid

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I've had a brainwave. Julia knits special chafe-free, organic wool underwear for long distance cyclists. This thing could be huge. Well done all.

Donation by Geoffrey Gunning on 23/07/10

£25.00

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Donation by Gillian Mason on 23/07/10

£30.00

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Congratulations to you all.Did Mounts Bay in the sunshine ever look more welcoming ? Lands End next stop ! You can take easy from here.

Donation by John Butterworth on 23/07/10

£30.00

+ £8.46 Gift Aid

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Not sure about the cycling - I think you've got the hardest job Jules - all that knitting! think of the chaffed and aching fingers! Well done all!

Donation by The Ormond family on 23/07/10

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

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This money's from my mother - who actually IS the age (91) you probably feel about now. (We wanted to give you a tow yesterday on the A38.)

Donation by Christine Butterworth on 23/07/10

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What a magnificent achievement - following the entertaining and informative blog daily.

Donation by Joyce Dobson on 22/07/10

£20.00

+ £5.64 Gift Aid

Donation summary

  • * Online donations£1,940.00
  • Offline donations£2,348.33
  • Text donations£0.00
  • Total raised£4,288.33
  • Gift Aid£495.00

* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.