Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Some of you will already know of my accident last year when I came  off my motorbike on a remote Welsh hillside. Thanks to the amazing SSARTeam members who came to my aid, the wonderful staff at Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth, the Welsh Ambulance Service, and the incredible Mandy Swan-Brown, I am about 75 % back to full fitness and hope to make a complete recovery. 

This was my 4th time riding legally off road with 9 other riders on the Coast to Coast trip, from the South to the North Coast of Wales and back. A trip I love; being on a bike and riding through beautiful Wales. On day 4 of what was an amazing trip, near Dolgellau, I came off my bike on a remote hillside, in deteriorating weather. Unfortunately for me I had dislocated my right hip. With poor visibility and increasing rain, the helicopter could not get to me. Instead 7 Members of the South Snowdonia Search & Rescue Team,  all highly dedicated and trained volunteers came to my rescue. I cannot thank them enough for everything they did for me that day. I was 2km up a hill from the nearest accessible location and in a great deal of pain and shock was setting in. The SSARTeam, with the help of some of my fellow riders, carried me on a one wheeled stretcher for 2km down this hillside, across some very difficult terrain to get me to the closest access point where an ambulance was waiting. The cover photo and the gallery photos for my page give you an idea of how remote a place I came off my bike and the conditions the SSARTeam, and my fellow riders, had to work in. 

The SSARTeam's expertise, dedication and passion for what they do, prevented me from sustaining a far more serious injury. I cannot thank them or my fellow riders enough for helping me.

I still have a way to go before I am fit enough to get on a motorbike again. As part of my rehabilitation I have set myself the challenge of walking the equivalent of the South West Coast Path, England's longest footpath stretching from Minehead in Somerset to Poole Harbour in Dorset, totalling 1014km. I plan to do this over 4 months walking 8.3km a day. I am looking for help to raise funds for the incredible work the SSARTeam do. They are all volunteers and rely entirely on private donations for supplies and equipment.

I would really appreciate your help,

James  

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