Alison's Story

Those who know me well might not be surprised to hear that last year, when my schoolfriend, Fiona, mentioned in passing that she intended to cycle the length of the UK on her bike, I asked who she was doing it with and within seconds I volunteered to join her. What an amazing opportunity to join the legions of people who have undertaken LEJOG (Lands End to John O'Groats) - creating the memories of a lifetime, by hopefully getting a little fitter and raising some money for causes close to our hearts - for me, our village hall and church. Too good an opportunity to miss!

Back in June, with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic causing uncertainty as to the ultimate viability of the ride, we finally decided to just go for it and start training. A 14-week training programme of 47 scheduled rides was devised: Fiona is covering her miles down in Dorset, and I am cycling up in lovely Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. So, on Sunday 13th September 2020, our never-to-be-repeated, self-funded adventure begins: stretching the 1,000 or so miles over a leisurely 16 days cycling, Fiona and I are doing it the easy way - overnight B&Bs and a great support team: our school friend, Julia, and our respective husbands who have signed all up to provide Maintenance of mind, body, bikes and soul before, during and after the big event.

The 13th century church has been a focal point in the village of Stathern for over 800 years. The precious Grade 2* listed building is a place of celebration, at the heart of the lives of the community, the school and the families in the village. However, the chancel has developed some major subsidence cracks and requires extensive structural repairs to preserve it for future generations. The solution is to pin the stone walls together using long bolts and then internally re-plaster and limewash and the cost is expected to run into thousands of pounds. I want to help to ensure that this beautiful building continues to provide a place of peace and hope for generations to come for the wider community and people of Stathern.

A note from the Fundraising Committee

We are delighted that Alison has chosen to support our fundraising for fixing the widening crack in the church chancel wall as one of her causes (the War Memorial Institute in Stathern being the other). Please do support Alison and us by recognising her tremendous feat and hard work with a donation. We wish her every success with her journey and hope that her great adventure is everything that she wants it to be!