I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis several years ago now and have struggled at various times with the physical and emotional effects. It can be incredibly painful at times and heavy bleeding in toilet can be pretty scary. However, when I was in hospital for the first time and shown images of my insides and told of the bleak future I remember almost not hearing the doctor and a voice in my head shouting, 'I'll show you!!' I appreciate that there is no cure for the disease but there is also no cure for stopping me and other sufferers refusing to submit to the condition! 

The challenge I have taken on comes 20 years since I rode a solo End to End in memory of a pupil I taught who lost her brave battle with leukaemia. Her story puts my battle into a pale light and is something I always think of when I have my bad days. 

My challenge is based around the 'The Girvan' as it was known in the cycling world. With the help of Girvan stalwart David Miller I have 3 iconic routes that I will ride in one day. The total mileage is around 217 miles to mark 2017 with over 12,000 feet of climbing.

Last thing I want is sympathy - all I want, as Sir Bob Geldof would have said, is you ******* money!!!!!! Only joking - please share this story and event if you can and if you can donate anything then I would be truly grateful.

Crohn’s and Colitis UK is a national charity in the battle against Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. We are fighting to achieve a better quality of life for the 300,000 people in the UK suffering physically and emotionally from these and other forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Ultimately, we want to find a cure.