Story
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;">Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;">This summer I shall be attempting to cycle across Africa in 9 weeks with three friends. The aim is to ride unsupported over 2000 miles from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. Extreme heat, scarce food and water, dangerous animals and awful road conditions are just a few of the serious challenges facing us. We leave on the 20<sup>th</sup> June, and assuming we are not devoured by lions or adopted by bushmen, we will return at the end of August. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;">Our route will take us across the inhospitable Kalahari Desert in Namibia and Botswana, north-east through Zambia and then across Zimbabwe (as discreetly as possible), before finishing up on the white sandy beaches of Mozambique. The countries we shall be cycling through are described by the Lonely Planet guidebook as being “totally unsuitable for cycling” and for “experienced riders only.” At the time of writing, only one member of our team has cycled over 20 miles in one go (!) but training starts now. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;">You may well be thinking, like my mother, that this expedition is far too ambitious and that we will never return. However, after hours of research and planning and with help from contacts on the ground, it should be an achievable if rather challenging adventure. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;">With your help, I hope to raise a significant amount of money for Macmillan Cancer Support . I am funding the costs of the expedition myself and so every penny raised goes to the charity. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;">Everyone is aware just how serious an issue cancer is today. By providing practical, medical, emotional and financial support Macmillan improves the lives of people affected by cancer. Statistically, one in three of us will get cancer. My father was one of them but, unlike over 150,000 each year, he is recovering. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every donation is hugely appreciated – please give what you can. Thank you. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;">Yours sincerely, </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;">Michael Houston</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: black; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p> </p>