I having been planning to do this for a while but my commitment has been refocussed due to family events over the last few months.

Im riding a 600km bike ride from Venice (over the mountains) to Rome, finishing at the colosseum. The primary purpose of the ride is to raise money for the St Elizabeth Hospice in Suffolk who improves the life of people living with progressive and terminal illnesses through various types of palliative care. https://www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk/

In Suffolk, such services are rare and receive limited funding. The Hospice has a £8.5m funding gap between the cost of services and the government funding it receives.

The Hospice has been a great help to my family over the years and more recently through the unexpected passing of our uncle, the legendary David (magic) Lentern, who we lost tragically to cancer at the age of just 59. I am dedicating my ride to David in the hope of helping the Hospice continue to support people and families like mine when they need it.

Fundraising, like these events, are vital to enable them to continue to support patients and their families to cope with progressive terminal illnesses and where possible give them a better quality of life in their final moments.

Any excess funding above the £2300 will be allocated to the Ipswich School Bursary Fund who are co-sponsoring the event. The Bursary aims to break down social and financial barriers to education. Ipswich school believes that potential should be the only determining factor in pursuing your dreams and the bursary fund helps reach children who have massive potential to thrive but simply lack the means to do so.