Having met at school, after 25+ years we're still the best of friends. So, when another of our school mates and his wife had an autistic son, it was heart-rending seeing what they had to go through. To be honest, we didn't really know a lot about autism and what we did know was tinged with Hollywood romanticism (Rain Man). We didn't understand just how demanding an autistic child could be, nor did we appreciate the life-long commitment. Such is the pressure that 80% of marriages break down, unable to take the strain. Yet, there is precious little support available for parents. Fortunately our friends are holding it together and, in doing so, they inspire us all.

This summer, our friends were fortunate enough to be offered a place for their son on a one-week holiday organised by the Newman Trust (see photo). This break gave them the opportunity to recharge their batteries, whilst their son had a great time too! Everyone at the Trust is an unpaid volunteer, with carers giving up a week of their time to look after the kids. This means that, even with one-to-one supervision, just £300 buys a week-long holiday for one child! Nevertheless, only 120 children and their families are able to benefit from the great work of the Newman Trust each year due to funding constraints.

We want to help and so when we decided to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats, the Newman Trust was the obvious charity. We hope that you will help us smash our fundraising target!

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Thanks,

Carl, Greg and Keith