Story
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Hello, and thanks for at least making it this far. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">I guess it is safe to say that most people feel they should challenge <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>themselves every now and again and I am no different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time though have ‘gone large’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>so to speak !<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have decided to cycle from Lands End to John O’Groats – now, for anyone outside the UK that is from the very bottom to the very top of the United Kingdom – give or take, about a thousand miles !<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For anyone inside the UK, I was tempted to leave it a couple of years and see if the UK does get slightly shorter to ease the journey!</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have paid for my travel to the start, accommodation and food en route (the thought of camping lasted 12 seconds) and flight home (although the plane looks pretty scary from the airport up there – not exactly Heathrow), so</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">E</span>very single penny, pound, Euro, Cent or Dollar <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I raise from you will go to the campaign and I and they will be extremely grateful</strong>.</span></span></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I look to see whether I would part with some cash for a sponsorship request I always think “is this a really challenge” or am I giving Paula Radcliff money for just going out for a jog!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>so I have to tell you I have started training <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but, with only 16 weeks left to go,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not feeling totally confident <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>just yet; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I need to increase my current 50 miles at the weekend <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to get to a level where I can do 100 miles per day for 10 days;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and in this weather that is not easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: small;">As for the charity,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am raising money for a local school, the one <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>my daughters go to (well one does and the other will soon) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and in particular for their “Play your Part” campaign – the school is trying to raise 1.5 Million to update some of its 1950’s built infrastructure,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which is definitely not going to be easy in this environment without help. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please also notice that the journey is made considerably more difficult by cycling from the bottom up, rather than the downhill version! – a decision I may still regret !</span></span></p>