Hello! We’re Kat and Bec, and we’re going to cycle from John O’Groats to Land’s End to raise money for Jigsaw South East - a wonderful local charity who support bereaved children and families.

It’s quite a long way. 992.18 miles to be precise, and that’s not allowing for getting lost, which we inevitably will do. 100-ish miles a day, for 10 days. No rest day. Just to spice things up a bit, Day 8 will be 128 miles.

We’ve chosen Jigsaw South East because, along with many other families, they will be supporting the beautiful, brave girls in the picture above.

Here’s Kat to tell you a bit more: 

The definition of bravery is: Courageous behaviour or character. I know two little girls who have shown me exactly what that looks like.

In October last year, those two courageous young girls had to say goodbye to their mum after her 18-month battle with cancer. She was 42 and her daughters were 6 and 8 years old. Not only are they brave and courageous, they are loving, kind and have a sense of humour that has the ability to make me laugh harder than most people I know.

I’ve seen them lose someone so precious to them, at such a young age, yet they continue to give so much love and fun to others. That's what makes them my inspiration.  

So, when I received a phone call from my good friend asking if I fancied joining him on what was advertised as ‘an epic adventure’, ‘the ride to end all rides’, ‘you won’t regret signing up’, I naively said...yes. Plenty of people cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats, right? How hard can it be? I booked my flight to Inverness and then I thought I might get a few more details….

1000 miles. 10 days. No rest days. Oh.

It was time to call my friend Becky – a woman who I knew was also brave (mad) and strong (mad) enough to join me.

Yes, we are scared, yes it will hurt and yes, we will need to be brave. But it’s ok because I have learnt from the best! For 1000 miles I will keep two little girls in my mind, and remember the strength and tenacity that they demonstrate every day. I will also keep in mind the fact that they will laugh at me for being utterly stupid in accepting this challenge.

Although the family received enormous support from various places, the charity I wanted to raise money for is one that will support the girls in the coming months and hopefully years - Jigsaw South East.

A bit more about Jigsaw South East

Jigsaw (South East) supports bereaved children, young people and their families and also those affected by a family member having a terminal diagnosis throughout Surrey, Sussex and surrounding areas.

The death or serious illness of a family member can be devastating and bring many challenges into the life of a young person.

Children need to be given age appropriate information and support so that they can understand what is happening within their family. Parents may need reassurance and support during such a difficult time.

It is important that children are allowed to grieve in their own way and in their own time. They will have different responses to death and dying depending on their age and experience.

The impact of bereavement can be devastating and have a major impact on children’s home life, school and friendships. It may also affect their health, behaviour and ability to cope in school.

Jigsaw Southeast offers support to children in various ways, from grief support to supplying the child’s school with tools and resources to help them cope. They provide a family support group run over six weeks with age appropriate gentle therapeutic activities such as memory boxes to help families to make and keep memories, to process the loss, learn some coping strategies and meet others in similar situations. This gives families the opportunity to talk, grieve and celebrate the life of the person who has died. As well as make new relationships with other families, build a support network and have fun.

Any amount of money raised for Jigsaw will go far and help children suffering with the loss of a loved one.

----------

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

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.