My name is John Collins and up until the end of July I was President of the students' union of Imperial College London. In 2007 the College was celebrating its centenary and the student union was in the process of redeveloping the Union Building on the South Kensington campus. The College was, and still is, keen to raise money from alumni to fund worthwhile projects and the student union building redevelopment is one of the centenary campaign's flagship fundraising projects.
Early in 2007 I decided to put myself forward to raise money for the student union building by cycling over 900 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats. Many students and College people rallied round and by the time I departed on June 21st 2007 over £2000 had been pledged in sponsorship.
However, just six miles in to my journey I fell off my bike in dreadful weather and fractured my wrist in several places. A titanium plate had to be inserted in my arm and it took my seven weeks to get through the first phase of recovery. I have been told it will take a further 18 months to make a full recovery but by mid August I had been given the all clear to cycle again.
So, aware that I probably wouldn't have an opportunity to complete the task I promised to do many months earlier for at least a year, I set out on 8th September 2007 from John O'Groats and cycled to Land's End in thirteen days, arriving on the afternoon of 20th September.
The journey had many ups and downs and I would describe it as the most demanding physical challenge I have ever undertaken. The good news is I made safely from one end of the country it in one piece and so I have created a website to record the journey and thank all those who helped me complete it.
www.johncollins.org.uk
Raised:
40%
Raised so far: £1,201.50
|
Well done John Donation by Gordon Johnson (EE1964-67) on 04/11/07 |
£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid |
|
|
Now go and get something from the stingy FOOs, I don't even work there anymore! Donation by Simon Higman on 09/10/07 |
£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid |
|
|
Well done from all on Fraggle Rock! Donation by Rosemary & Martin Hawkins on 06/10/07 |
£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid |
|
|
Donation by andrew murphy on 05/10/07 |
£25.00 + £7.05 Gift Aid |
|
|
Donation by Rodney Eastwood on 26/09/07 |
£100.00 + £28.21 Gift Aid |
|
|
Hope you have a speedy recovery! Have fun when you re-do it! Donation by Alex Guite on 19/07/07 |
£30.00 |
|
|
From another ardent scenic cyclist Donation by Richard Gundersen on 24/06/07 |
£20.00 |
|
|
Fly the Flag for Engineering! Donation by David Hattersley on 24/06/07 |
£25.00 + £7.05 Gift Aid |
|
|
Best of luck in September - hope the wrist is OK soon Donation by Mary Ritter on 23/06/07 |
£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid |
|
|
Donation by john Banyard on 22/06/07 |
£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid |
|
|
Well done John, remember you don't need arms to ride a bike Donation by James Millen on 22/06/07 |
£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid |
|
|
Good Luck - from a cycling student of '58-'61 vintage! Donation by Chris Lumb (CGCA) on 22/06/07 |
£25.00 + £7.05 Gift Aid |
|
|
Commiserations John, hope you have a speedy recovery mate, good luck with your next attempt Donation by Robin Pitt on 22/06/07 |
£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid |
|
|
Have a speedy recovery John and good luck if you try again later in the summer Donation by Ashley Brown on 21/06/07 |
£30.00 |
|
|
Good luck John! Make sure you use a decent bike :) Donation by Edmund Hunt on 20/06/07 |
£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid |
|
|
good luck - you'll need it! Donation by siberman on 17/06/07 |
£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid |
|
|
Donation by Mike Moate on 14/06/07 |
£20.00 + £5.64 Gift Aid |
|
|
Make sure those shorts are padded! Donation by Wendy Collidge on 12/06/07 |
£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid |
|
|
John, your undying love for the PUnion is amazing Donation by Emmanuel Bennett on 30/05/07 |
£2.00 + £0.56 Gift Aid |
|
|
Good Luck :o) Donation by Kristine Rajamanikam on 29/05/07 |
£10.00 + £2.82 Gift Aid |
|
|
Good luck! Donation by Jo Swarbrick on 29/05/07 |
£10.00 |
|
|
Just don't crash... Donation by Jad on 26/05/07 |
£50.00 + £14.10 Gift Aid |
|
|
Best of luck John, don't forget to enjoy it! Donation by Chris Larvin on 25/05/07 |
£15.00 + £4.23 Gift Aid |
|
|
Good luck John! Donation by Pamela Michael on 25/05/07 |
£25.00 + £7.05 Gift Aid |
|
|
Good effort, it's a great ride! Donation by Oliver Carson on 25/05/07 |
£5.00 |
| * Total raised online: | £1,201.50 |
|---|---|
| Offline donations: | £0.00 |
| Mobile donations: | £0.00 |
| Total Raised: | £1,201.50 |
| Gift Aid plus supplement: | £296.86 |
* Charities pay a small fee for our service.
Find out
how much it is and what we do for it.