I am writing to you in the hope that you could help me with a charity cycle and fundraiser in memory of my friend Stephen Lyness who sadly passed away in December 2004.

On the 20/12/2004 my lifelong friend Stephen passed away in his sleep, on the morning of his 18th birthday, He suffered cardiac arrest. This was obviously a huge shock to everyone who knew Stephen as he was a young, fit and energetic man who loved life. Shortly after his death his mother Catherine set up a charity in his memory called the Stephen Lyness memorial fund, which raises money to help fund research for cardiac risk in the young and it has gone towards helping provide youth clubs, sports clubs and schools with defibrillators. Catherine runs numerous marathons and every year Stephens friends and family gather and do a 40mile cycle and to date there has been over £100,000 raised.

This is where I need your help. I moved from Portadown to Preston, England 4 years ago and I havnt done anything in his memory in a long time, this is something that I'm a bit upset and annoyed about. However I have decided that I am going to cycle from Preston North End Football Club to Celtic Football Club in Glasgow next year. It will be a 197 mile trip which will take roughly 17 hours to complete. I hope to start this on Friday 7th of April at around 5pm, travelling through the night and complete it on Saturday 8th of April at 3pm. The reason I have chosen this date is to coincide with Celtics final home game of the season against Kilmarnock.

The reason I have chosen To finish at Celtic FC is because Stephen was a devoted Celtic fan and regularly travelled over from Ireland to the games, I am hoping his family will be in the stands that day and I will be able to present them with a cheque of what I have raised, I am also going to hold a fundraising night 2 weeks after the cycle in the hope of raising more money so it can be passed onto the the London Heart Hospital to provide much needed research