Thanks for taking the time to visit this JustGiving page.I help run the Durham Big Ride and I thought it would be a very fitting way to mark the first anniversary of the passing of my soul mate and partner for over 18 years Carolyn Budd. I asked around and Mark Tallentire, reporter for Northern Echo and Durham Times has kindly said that he will do the Durham Big Ride and raise money for Stray Action for Dogs (S A D), a charity that was close to Carolyn's heart. He has also written a number of articles about preparing for the event.

Once the kennels got to hear, two great staff Alan Cutting and Helen Pinkney, decided to ride as well. This means that there are THREE people using this page to make some SAD dogs happy. I am sure there will be more as Carolyn's friends from BBC Newcastle and others get to hear about this.

Carolyn passed away a year ago and one of the many things she did was to help at Stray Action for Dogs S.A.D with food, donations and the like. We hope there will be a few of Carolyn's friends and work mates do the Durham Big Ride and also donate to this site to keep her memory alive and to help with vet bills and food for the strays in Durham.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.