Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

We all go through bad times in our lives. If you are strong you can get through them, I found cycling the best form of therapy for all my problems.

You may or may not be aware that I have suffered from issues with mental health! A lack of awareness of what was happening to me resulted in a break down in 2005 and I ended up loosing my job (which I hated), house and finished my relationship leaving me with a son to look after on my own, all at the same time. Bad times! I have never really been the same since. It was my doctor who suggested that I said I should get back on my bike (I had not ridden since I passed my driving test and found girls and booze), All that a side with the help of my friends at Upgrade I was fortunate enough to get the correct support and rebuild my life and start my career again after 6 months being signed off work at a local bike shop, who were great and let me get back to normal in a fantastic environment. I am now back at Upgrade Bikes and been here for 3 years.

My father and I (who also suffers with a mild bipolar disorder) are doing some support work for Mind www.mind.org.uk and are doing a sponsored ride in September from London to Paris. I am a bit concerned about the amount of old ladies on shopping bikes taking their time over it, my hopes of a break away and sprint finishes won’t be there but its still 100 miles a day and it’s a big ask from my dad who hasn’t ridden for 15 years which is the main reason I’m doing it.

Please, Please sponsor me and give what you can, I need to raise £1500 to do it www.justgiving.com/patrick-blake  I will appreciate it and nag everyone (I’m good at that) until you do.

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 - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.