THANK-YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE'S SUPPORT!!!

We are so, so grateful for the fantastic response from family, friends, work colleagues and the rail industry!

On Saturday 6 May, two old(ish) and unfit guys (us!) took part in Carten 2017 - a 107 mile cycle from Cardiff to Tenby in South Wales in order to raise as much money as possible for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund ("JDRF"). The charity is leading the way worldwide to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes and is very close to finding an answer so every pound really will make a huge difference.

I am so proud to say that we both made it to the finish line, having left Cardiff at 7.30am and arriving in beautiful Tenby at 5.15pm!! It did not go without incident - we both nearly came off and took the peloton down with us at the only the second set of traffics. It involved a female police officer so I am not legally able to comment further!!

It is fair to say that we were both absolutely shattered at the end and it really did take absolutely everything we had. I cannot tell you how hard those last 30 miles were - the undulating hills of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire do not give justice to how hilly that stage of the race was.

I found it quite amusing the morning before the race when Tomos found my saddle a bit painful (pictured below!) I can now confirm that after eight hours it was quite simply unbearable! (but I guess it is nothing compared to what my little boy has to endure each day).

This charity is extremely close to my heart as my son, Tomos (pictured), was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was only 4 years old.  His pancreas does not produce any insulin and therefore he needs to have insulin and monitoring blood tests up to 10 times a day just in order to stay alive.  It would be remiss of the accountant in me not to provide some numbers: in the 6 years since his diagnosis, he has had somewhere in the region of 13,000 injections, 9,000 blood tests and 2,600 hours spent recovering from hypos.  Like everyone living with this condition, his body struggles every day with the reality of this rollercoaster, but in a recent presentation that he gave to his classmates his message was clear:  'Type 1 diabetes will not stop me doing anything I want to, but doing everything takes a lot more planning and hard work so be patient with me please!'  I could not be more proud of how he deals with his illness.  His tenth birthday is the week before the cycle which will hopefully provide me with the inspiration to complete the ride - for those that know me this kind of effort will be somewhat of a test!!!

I know that the charity is very important to Alistair's family as well (nephew, Sam) - I am extremely grateful for all of his support and really couldn't have had a better partner to have tackled this challenge with!!

There is still an opportunity to donate. Any donation will be very appreciated in finding a cure for this incessant condition.

Dave