ME(Myalgic Encephalopathy)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(CFS) blights the lives of 250,000 people in the UK today, my wife Maureen being one of them. My wife has suffered with ME/CFS for 27 years now along with Fybromyalgia. Her whole life has changed drastically since the onset of this illness which has resulted in her everyday experience of severe and debilitating fatigue, relentless pain in her muscles and joints, somehow surviving on little or no sleep which has certainly not been through choice or lack of trying. This has all contributed to her suffering from poor memory and concentration and very real respiratory issues. It is a horrid, horrid illness. On the face of it she continues to fight it, even on her darkest days, and is a true inspiration and advocate to the cause and to many other sufferers. Dedicating herself, with the limited energy she has, to exploring and researching ways to cope and manage everyday life. She really is our hero and we are all so proud of her!! 

On behalf of my wife Maureen and in aid of the ME Association, myself and my Grandson Miller (aged 9) have organised a big cycle challenge for ourselves to cycle from Mintlaw to Dyce and back along the  Formartine and Buchan Way. This is a 62-Mile round trip from start to finish. When we arrive in Dyce on the first day, we are stopping off and staying at the Pinehurst Lodge, which has been kindly been donated to us for the night by the owner Drew, before we head back to Mintlaw again the following day. 

The big cycle is going to coincide with the annual ME Awareness week which runs from the 8th-14th of May 2017, the exact dates in which the cycle will be held within this week has still to be confirmed and will also be weather driven.

The link to the route in which we are taking is attached below: 

https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/paths-and-outdoor-access/long-distance-routes/formartine-and-buchan-way-route-cards/

If you would like to donate to our big cycle challenge in aid of the ME Association to help them with much needed research into the cruel illness then please do, we would appreciate your kind donation very much, and every little helps. We would also appreciate if you could take the time to even share this post so that more people can be made aware. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this fundraising post!!!