HAIRraising is a fundraising appeal by the hairdressing industry to help raise £1 million towards new operating theatres at Great Ormond Street Hospital.And I am trying to do my little bit in the bigger picture. visit www.gosh.org for more info on how your money can help.

Before we started our mammoth ride I practiced driving the death trap with my passenger, getting used to the weight and balance, however 3 days before we were due to leave she had to pull out. Lee Wyatt a stylist from the salon volunteered to come instead so I had 1 day to practice with his weight plus getting all the clothes to fit him.

 

On the day we were due to leave everything went swimmingly until we left the salon.3 hours after leaving the salon we ran out petrol on the motorway and pushed the motorbike and sidecar a mile and a half before getting rescued 100 metres from the petrol station. Then as we approached Glasgow the bike again decided to drink more petrol so we had to leave the motorway in search of petrol. We ended up down a dirt track having followed the sat-nav directions only to lose control and end up in a hedge. After a nightmare of getting the bike out the hedge and turning round I knocked on the home of a local resident to get directions to the petrol station, only to get there and discover that it closed. Eventually we found an open petrol station without breaking down again.

It took us 8 hours to travel the 4 hours between Chester and Glasgow, the mammoth ride had turned epic!!

 

The following day we got up hoping for better luck, this was not going to happen!! An hour into the journey the bike broke down with the drive belt snapping and after wasting 3 hours it was announced unable to be repaired by the RAC. I was obviously devastated thinking it was all over. But in a last ditch attempt to finish I took our support vehicle (my normal bike) and headed off alone to try to make up for lost time and miles, alone around the Scottish border .All I could take was the flag to symbolize my journey (nothing else would fit on the bike) Lee had to go home (gutted) on the back of a low loader with the motorbike and sidecar.

I made it to Leeds by 7pm having ridden constantly all day allowing only 1 break for a quick wee and chocolate (essentials only). My husband rode over to meet me so I wasn’t going alone, and brought more vinyl’s to make my motorbike look pretty.

 

Before we could start the next day I had to take my bike to the garage (I’d ridden it too hard the day before!! And it needed TLC). After a slow start we visited Saks salons in Leeds, Sheffield and finished in Covent Garden. We had a fabulous welcome from the salons making our journey worthwhile. The Academies had raised a huge £630!!! And the only mishap being 2 parking tickets (which have now been squashed).

 

On Tuesday 10^th August we visited the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital to see how and who our money would help. The hospital is a magnificent place that needs every single penny to improve the equipment and service they can deliver to the children and their families.

 

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