I'm taking part in the Ride Across Britain 2010 - cycling from John O'Groats to Lands End - starting at the crack of dawn on Saturday 12th June in Scotland and finishing on Sunday 20th June in Cornwall; 1,000 miles, nine days, trusty wheels of steel (well, carbon fibre) and weary legs. What I lack in natural attributes and talent for cycling, I intend to make up for with sheer grit and determination. And sweat.
The event, in its inaugural year, is sponsored by Deloitte in support of ParalympicsGB. I, personally, am raising money for Mesothelioma UK, a charity which runs a resource centre dedicated to helping Mesothelioma sufferers and their families.
Mesothelioma is a particularly terrible and debilitating form of cancer. It attacks the chest wall or the abdomen, and surrounds the heart, lungs and intestines. The lungs become progressively restricted by the tumour, causing severe breathlessness and uncontrollable pain. Care is generally palliative, not curative, and death usually follows within a year of diagnosis. Mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos, usually at work, mainly in construction trades and heavy industry ... but its victims are wide-ranging, including wives who have washed dusty overalls and children who've played with dumped asbestos. Mesothelioma UK is the first port of call for sufferers and their families - it provides a free phone helpline, a website (www.mesothelioma.uk.com), and general support/information at a particularly frightening time. Having been set up with funding from Macmillan Cancer Support, Mesothelioma UK is now entirely reliant on voluntary donations. Through my own work with mesothelioma sufferers and their families, I can personally testify to the vital service which Mesothelioma UK provides. Please do help.
It goes without saying that none of the money I raise is going to pay for the event itself and that Mesothelioma UK have not provided any financial support for the race.
In anticipation ... thank you!
