Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Why am I fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support?

I lost my lovely Mum (Ann Vivian Lord) to oesophageal cancer 10 years ago. She was 73 years young and the centrepiece of our family. Mum was a very positive person, who only saw the good in people, always standing up for the underdog. She was a totally amazing mum, wife, grandma, sister, aunt, friend and neighbour - it didn't matter if you were family or not, Mum would always make you feel welcome.

Mum supported Cancer Research UK for over 40 years, running a weekly whist drive in her home village of Cranfield, alongside coffee mornings and jumble sales. She raised £62,958 for the charity that was so dear to her.

Whilst fighting cancer, Mum received compassionate care from the Macmillan Team at Bedford Hospital.

She was loved and held in high esteem by so many, and the number of people that attended her funeral was testimony to this.

Why Macmillan Cancer Support?

They are one of the largest British charities and provide specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer. They also look at the social, emotional and practical impact cancer can have, and campaign for better cancer care.

So many people affected by cancer will receive the amazing support offered by Macmillan Cancer Support.

What is the challenge I'm setting myself?

I wanted to carry out a challenge in memory of my lovely Mum and as 10 years have passed since we lost her, this year seemed a very appropriate year in which to do this.

Having recently taken early retirement, I have had more time to enjoy cycling and in 2020 my daughter (Esme) also started cycling on what was my first road bike (a Cannondale CAAD8).

So I got to thinking about what type of challenge would tick all of the  boxes - cycling, scenery, the great outdoors, friends and new places. This lead me to the challenge of cycling through parts of Scotland, visiting Glasgow, Motherwell, Stirling, Edinburgh, Perth, St Andrews, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverurie, Peterhead and Ellon (and there is a common connection with all of those places). This is now a reality and we'll be leaving from Glasgow on Sunday 11 June, 2022 and arriving in Ellon on Friday 17 June, 2022.

As a very amateur cyclist, the idea of spending 6 consecutive days in the saddle and covering approx 100km per day does make me wonder why I set myself this challenge - but I'm sure with your help and support, alongside the knowledge that I am putting myself through this for such a great cause will ensure I complete the challenge.

How will Team @ridingagainstcancer will raise the £10,000 target?

Sponsorship donations are one of the routes we'll be using, but we will also be running a raffle alongside the actual cycling event. For a minimum suggested donation of £5 you will receive entry into our raffle. The more you donate, the more entries to the raffle you will receive. Updates to the raffle prizes on offer will be posted here on a regular basis.

We are hoping to find other ways of collecting money as we do the actual cycling, and through the businesses that are supporting us in this event. We will post updates here as and when we work out how we can do this.