I'm riding the 2014 Tour de France route, as the pros do (but slower) and I'd like to use this opportuntiy to raise money for a good cause.

My parents are going to participate in the Voluntary Services Overseas scheme as part of their retirement, and partly in gratitude for the support they will be providing me for this challenge, I would like to support VSO.

VSO is a charity that fights poverty through volunteers with skills and experience required by local communities in developing countries. Volunteers live and work at the heart of the community they help to develop, living in similar conditions as their colleagues, transferring their own skills and knowledge to local people, leading to sustainable change.

Volunteers’ skills and legacy will remain long after volunteers leave meaning that local people and businesses can use this knowledge to empower themselves. This means that fighting poverty and increasing development can be sustainable and long-lasting.

You can find out more about the great work VSO do and how to get involved in the scheme here.