I plan to cycle from Boston (Massachussettes) to San Diego (California) this summer for charity - a distance of about 4200 miles. I have chosen three charities and I hope to raise a total of £1000. One of the three charities I have chosen is the Campaign to Protect Rural England mainly because as someone who likes to get out into the countryside I think it's vital we have a national body to help resist the temptation to build new houses in countryside which has been unspoilt and enjoyed by so many people since time immemorial.

Once countryside is urbanised it is likely to stay that way indefinitely and there will be one less place for urban people to escape to, one less area people can go to for peace, reflection, and to 'commune with nature'. We are only a small country and we need all the open spaces we have left.

I'm a member of CPRE and know from their newsletter that they are influential in several other important campaigns, mainly to do with improving the quality of life in rural communities (campaigning against noise and light pollution, campaigning for services for the elderly, campaigning against litter in both rural and urban areas, and against the building of roads which 'rape' forests.....) This is a good charity which keeps a necessary check on the temptation to drive towards economic growth at all costs!

And if that's not cool enough for you, their current president is none other than Bill Bryson :-)

Please sponsor me for as much as you can.....either for this charity, the World Land Trust or Hope and Homes for Children (go to www.justgiving.com/worldecology or www.justgiving.com/achanceforchildren respectively).

Sponsoring me through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: CPRE will receive your money directly through this website and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. Just click the 'sponsor us now' button below.

Note that this is a genuine sponsorship: if I do not complete the ride up to at least as far as Flagstaff (Arizona) - unless due to injury - I will personally refund you whatever you have donated on request! [up to a limit of £500 total for all three charities. If in the highly improbable event I am asked for over £500 to be refunded I shall have to apply a pro-rata system]

To see the details about my route, why I chose the States etc. and to view the blog which I hope to keep updated throughout my ride, please check out www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/3548.

For further information about CPRE go to their website at www.cpre.org.uk.

Thanks ever so much for your support.