To see how they are getting on, visit their blog: http://www.gallagher-group.co.uk/demelza-101-blog

The Gallagher Group has been closely associated with Demelza for the last few years, in particular, the Demelza 101 cycle rides from Sittingbourne to Paris in 2014 and Sittingbourne to Amsterdam in 2016 together with other hiking challenges in 2017. So far some £35,000 has been raised and donated and this year we are hoping to break the £50,000 mark.

So when Demelza’s chief fundraiser contacted Steve Gallagher to see if he wanted to put forward a team for the 3rd Demelza 101, a rerun of the 2014 epic 300 miler jaunt to Paris, cries of "why has he not got a new phone number?" were heard ringing around the office.

So ‘cometh the hour, cometh the man’ and when no one stepped forward good old dictatorship won the day and a reluctant Richard Harrison agreed to join the pilgrimage for a third time.

Training has been hampered by a combination of muted enthusiasm, busy social calendars and a visit from the dreaded ‘Beast from the East’ but having now resolved our differences on the East Coast with Carillion, ‘thoughts’ of starting training are in full flow…

This year, our ‘intrepid pioneers’ are joined by our very own elite cyclist - Adrian Hollamby - Adrian is a cycling god and already holds various Strava ‘King of the Mountain’ titles and has cycled the East to West coast route (not between ‘Mallings’ albeit a tough 5 miler on a busy road) and completed over 3,000 miles in the saddle last year - but can he hold his ‘beer’, and that is what makes his trip far more challenging.

Demelza needs to raise in excess of £8 million a year to sustain two centres, the one in Sittingbourne and the other in Eltham, South East London.

The team will be very thankful for any donations received, big or small, and all the money raised will be gratefully received by Demelza, enabling them to carry on their incredible work.