In July 2013 my Dad sadly passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 59. He was a true inspiration to me, the person I looked up to most and the person I turned to for advice. I miss him incredibly every day and doubt that will ever change. In 8 months since he died lots of things have changed in my life, but the most important change is that Kate my girlfriend, has become my fiancé. On the 20th of June this year we will be married, a day that is meant to be best of anyone’s life. Whilst it will be a brilliant occasion and one that I’m really looking forward to it will also be one where I know I will feel my Dad’s loss the most – so I’ve decided to do something in his memory.
If you happen to know me then you will know I’ve spent more time in A&E than most doctors - broken fingers, toes, dislocated shoulders, broken nose, ribs, ankles……the list is worryingly endless! So it is probably this that goes some way to explaining the look of worry and concern on the faces of the people I’ve told about my challenge so far! I will be cycling home from Leeds to Norton-on-tees the day before the wedding in memory of my Dad. The ride is approximately 70 miles and I will be accompanied by one of my best men Matty (and possibly Dave and Andrew if I can twist their arms a bit!). We will be leaving around 6am, passing through Harrogate, Ripon, Thirsk, Northallerton and Yarm before (hopefully) getting home in time to have a meal and watch England vs. Uruguay with a few pints to celebrate the last night of my single life!
The money raised will be split between The British Heart Foundation and a local charity called Daisy Chain who look after children with autism – these were also the charities which donations at my Dad’s funeral were given too, you can read more about them both via the links below.
http://www.daisychainproject.co.uk/
http://www.bhf.org.uk/#&panel1-1
Thank you for taking the time to read about my challenge (if you’ve made it this far!) and please donate whatever you can. I really don’t need any more motivation than knowing I’m doing this for my Dad but the money really will make a difference to both charities.
Because of the way JustGiving works one page can only be used to donate to one charity – you can split your donations by donating individually via the links below.
