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

So please dig deep and donate now.

       A LITTLE DAY OUT!     6 BLOKES      92 MILES      24 HOURS         A MASSIVE THANK YOU.

We did it!

 At 7.25am (a little late!) on Saturday 26^th June 2010, we set out from Washingborough jetty in our canoes. We started well and made good time at the start. However, as the river turned South, we were faced with a strong headwind. This slowed us down, but we finally got to Tattershall Bridge just after 2pm, with aching arms and shoulders.

At that point we were presented with a superb lunch and then got ready for the cycle. We set off at 3.15pm and cycled down through Boston and across to Grantham, where at 7.40pm, again the guys met us with dinner. After the re-fuel, and a rest, we cycled the last 10 miles at a cracking pace, and 35 minutes later we were at Byards Leap.

Another change of kit, and at 10.30pm as the light faded, we started walking the 17 miles back home. One last re-fuel of tea, coffee, and biscuits at Wellingore, and we plodded on. With sore legs and very sore feet, we got back to Washingborough at 5.40am, 22 hours and 15 minutes after starting. With Dawn and Catherine providing bacon butties, tea and coffee, they then took us home for a bit of a rest!

 Now for the thank you’s. Firstly, of course, to the guys. Giles, Richard, Mark, Nick, and Chris. You were superb. An amazing effort by some real top guys.

Next to the back up team. Catherine Turner, Dawn Kerry, Frank Werling, Rob McGill, Bob Chatterton, Paul Valleley, Rob Timmins, Brian Winstanley on stand-by through the night, and Clinton Thacker taking the photo’s. Without these people giving their time and effort, the day would not have even started. The food was brilliant, the drinks and snacks were cold, and the tea and coffee hot. The equipment we needed was moved round, stored and returned, without any fuss or problem. On top of this a big thank you goes out to Paul Turner and the Lincoln District Scout Water Activity Team, for the use of the canoes and equipment, not only for the day, but also for the training. Thank you very much to all of you.

Then we move to all who sponsored us. The best wishes you sent us were greatly appreciated, and the money that has been pledged for such a great charity is estimated at between £2500 and £3000. This is way above all of our expectations, and for this I can’t thank everyone enough.

Finally I would like to thank my wife and kids. For their support through the last 6 months of planning, my disappearing for training, and for accepting me going out to do something crazy like this on our wedding anniversary!

 

What we are doing!

 

 

On the 26^th June 2010, Paul Kirby, Giles Bursey, Richard Pailing, Mark Turner, Nick Turner, and Chris Geeson will take part in a 92 mile Triathlon, in 24 hours.

 

Leaving at 7am, we will canoe 17 miles, along the River Witham, from Washingborough to Tattershall Bridge, then cycle from there, 57 miles to Byards Leap near Sleaford, via Boston and Grantham, and finally walk 18 miles along the Viking Way back to Washingborough, arriving back hopefully about 7am on Sunday 27^th June.

 

We are doing this to raise money for Heart Link Childrens Charity, based at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester (Reg Charity No 513946), where Paul’s daughter Lucy spent eight weeks as a baby (see attached information).

 

Five of us are involved as leaders or helpers at Washingborough Scout Group, and the other, Chris, is Lucy’s Godfather.

 

Why we’re doing it!

Lucy’s Story.

 

Lucy Jayne Kirby was born in November 2004. At four weeks old, she was admitted to Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, where she was diagnosed with a complex heart condition called Taussig-Bing Anomaly, or Double outlet Right Ventricle (both the main artery and vein were on the right side of the heart, instead of the vein on the right, and artery on the left), with a coarctation of the Aorta (narrowing in the main artery), and four holes in her heart.

She had three operations, totalling 14 hours in surgery, to correct the defects. She was then found to have post-operative complete heart block. This means the electric pulses could not get from the top chambers of the heart to the bottom chambers. She was fitted with a pacemaker, and after eight long weeks, was allowed home.

With regular trips back to Leicester for check ups, she progressed well.

 

After a scare in April 2008, when her pacemaker stopped working, she was re-admitted to Glenfield to have it replaced. But after only three days she was home again, and is now a beautiful 5-year-old schoolgirl. She still has regular check ups at Leicester, but the consultant is very happy with her progress.

 

During both our stays in hospital, we were so very grateful to Heart Link for everything they did. As well as providing vital equipment for PICU and the Children’s ward, they also provide bedrooms on the ward for the parents of patients, along with shower facilities, a fully fitted kitchen, washing machine and tumble dryer. They have provided televisions, videos and computer games consoles, two playrooms on the ward, and a large playroom downstairs from the ward, with a life size model of Thomas the Tank Engine, bikes and scooters and large foam building blocks. As well as all of this, they pay for play specialists to help the patient’s and their siblings, so their Mums and Dads can deal with their sick children, or just have a rest or a meal.

 

Heart Link have now committed to buy a 4D Ultrasound scanner at a cost of £161,000.The Real-time 4D volume enables more diagnostic information to be gathered from a single heart beat and fully integrating new dimensions into echo and stress exams. The Vivid 7 Dimension enables clinicians to obtain multiple imaging planes simultaneously. This scanner gives clinicians a better way to convey their findings to other cardiologists and provides more cardiac information to help them better communicate the heart’s structure and function.