As many of you know , my father in law and friend John " Tiny " Porter died a few weeks ago, having succumbed only 2 months after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. He was anything but " Tiny" , standing well over 6 feet tall, big and strong, with a heart the size of Somerset.

He spent the last few days on earth at St Margaret's Hospice in Yeovil, where he,  ironically , had volunteered for many years. I think it was of tremendous comfort to him when he knew that he wouldn't be able to go home from Hospital to find that there was a place for him there. I was able to visit John at the Hospice on several occasions and each time was blown away by the amazing staff and facilities, for both the patients and their family. I had never been to a Hospice before and would like to think all Hospices are the same. Something tells me this is not the case.

I have since learned that the Hospice needs to rely primarily on private donations as their annual budget is only covered by the NHS  for approximately 25%. It really is an honour to try and raise money for St Margaret's and in memory and celebration of my great father in law.

Amazingly, my two non cycling friends, Angus Martyn  and Richard Moon , who both knew John almost as long as I did, have also volunteered to raise funds by riding the Prudential Ride London 100 Sportive with me. They have never cycled anywhere near this distance before , so I have obviously played down just how difficult an event  this actually is. So, I'm telling them now , Yes,  it's super difficult and no, you can't back out; you promised!

On each of the 2 occasions I have completed this sportive, John was there on the route beside his wife, his daughter and grandchildren to cheer me on. I cannot believe he won't be there this year to do the same.

A lot of you were lucky enough to know John and I know you are all missing him dearly. I cannot think of a better way to honour him than to ride for his favourite charity,  a place where he was so wonderfully looked after only a few weeks ago.  To be supported by my pals Gus and Rick in this endeavour is also a fantastic gesture by them . But don't expect me to sit up and wait for you both on the day !!

I realise in this day and age there are constant and competing demands on to give generously and of course,  all the causes are equally worthy. Any contribution, no matter how small still makes a big difference and we will be incredibly grateful for anything you are happy to pledge.

I genuinely believe John found comfort in being at St Margaret's Hospice Yeovil in his last days and I really want to ensure others have that privilege too when their time comes.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Kind regards,

Fred, Rick and Angus.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.