Thanks for visiting my fundraising page supporting the Wallace & Gromit Grand Appeal. They provide life saving equipment, family accommodation during treatments, children's health research and well-being support for parents. Their work is invaluable and they help more people every day.

This event:

To symbolise the journey taken by Vinnie and his family for his treatment, I will be cycling a variation of this route.

I will cycle approximately 75 miles (125km) and climbing 3300ft (1000m) from Quedgeley (Gloucester) near Vinnie's home and I will head off-road across Randwick, Selsley, Uley, Dursley and North Nibley before heading on to Bristol Children's Hospital.

I will then make the return journey and make a stop at Vinnie's favourite pub in Cambridge, The George. 

This route will take approximately 10 hours and I will be doing it unsupported. This means that I will need to feed and hydrate myself with no support vehicle and I will need to fix any mechanical problems by myself. 

It's a really tough challenge and I hope I can do Vinnie proud. A lot of training is required before this can be achieved.

Vinnie's Story:

In 2021 our friends, The Bushells, received a diagnosis for their 6 year old Son Vinnie of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. The news was devastating and as a new parent myself, I knew I had to do something. Vinnie has already undergone the first 2 stages of treatment and we are hugely relieved that he has responded well. 

Vinnie is an Identical Twin and is, of course, extremely close with him. Unfortunately, with his diagnosis in August he was unable to go to school with brother and will be unable to return until at least March 2022. They have done everything together since birth and, as well as having Cancer, he can't be with his brother like normal.

Cannulas. Platelets. Anaesthetic. Lumbar punctures. Chemotherapy. Steroids. Hair Loss. Transfusions. These are powerful words and words which represent some of what this amazing 6 year old boy has and will endure.

Currently in the "Delayed Intensification" stage of his treatment, Vinnie has to endure the combination of all previously received drugs so INTENSE is very much the buzzword here. 

As always, Vinnie is being a hero and everyone is incredibly proud of him.

About Me:

I recently became a Dad to a beautiful boy named Reuben Dean; he was only 3 months old when I heard of Vinnie's diagnosis. 

I'm 28 years old and suffer a chronic illness called M.E, or more recently called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). This poses it's own challenge on top of this hard cycle ride, one which requires a lot of careful planning and a lot of painkillers afterwards.

I'm a recreational mountain biker and a normal ride for me is between 15 to 25 miles lasting 3 hours and climbing 500-700m; so you can see this challenge is not something I could do tomorrow and it requires a lot of training.

Donating through JustGiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It's also the most efficient way to sponsor me. The Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal gets your money faster and, if you're a UK taxpayer, JustGiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement are added to your donation.

Vinnie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourlittlefightervinnie/