Bradford to Barcelona

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I'll be setting off with my good mate Bob on April 1st to cycle from Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire to Barcelona supported by nothing but our own legs and boundless optimism.

We'll be heading for Portsmouth, sailing to St Malo, then downhill all the way (of course) to the Pyrenees....if we hit them fast enough, we should whizz straight over and roll into Barcelona in time for a spot of tapas ten days later. We'll be cunningly tinkering with the route to make it a total of 1000, giving us the additional goal of cycling at least 100 miles per day....

I'll be raising money for St Mungo's, a well-established charity working with homeless people since 1969, originally in London (where I first worked alongside them as a psychiatrist in services for homeless people with mental illness in the early 90's) and then in Oxford, Bristol & Bath, where I now work alongside them with our clients at Mulberry House.

For the last few years, St Mungo's have been managing Mulberry House, a semi-independent housing project in Bath, providing high level support and accommodation for 13 people living with & recovering from mental illness. The project is all about working with & alongside people to get their lives back on track over a period of up to four years, preparing for independent living, whilst becoming part of a wider community.

It's been great to watch the project & its community grow over the last few years and see so many of their residents move toward a life that's more about living than just existing.

In 2012, the Roundhouse was built (using traditional methods and using sustainable materials) in the garden of Mulberry House, with residents, staff, students and volunteers all contributing to the design and building. It's intended to provide a place for groups & creative activities. It's nearly finished but not yet ready for use, but a bit more cash will connect it to the mains and fire alarm system and it's this final phase that I'm hoping to help fund with your help by making my legs ache and filling my belly with paella.

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.

Many thanks!