Should you be reading this can I say thank you and well done because it shows you have taken the trouble to open the link! My next task is more challenging as I now need to persuade you to part with some of your hard earned cash.

For those of you who are puzzled by the term “end to end” it refers to the cycle trip from John O Groats in the very north of Scotland to Lands End at the very tip of south west England. A cycle ride of just over 1000 miles.

I guess you have looked at the attached photo and immediately thought “Who are those stunningly athletic and good looking individuals in tight fitting shorts” If you did think that then great because you are obviously suffering from a serious mental disorder and will be happy to part with lots of cash!

So let me introduce the participants from left to right we have Richard Luckman (a poor man’s Daniel Craig lookalike) who is the MD of Global Cleaning Contracts, next comes Mark Woodhead who is co owner and MD of Selden Research, then we have the vertically challenged Paul Hirst of Kimberly Clark and finally representing all old and dribbly people, myself, Ernest Craske, who retired from Bunzl Cleaning & Hygiene in May last year.

So why are we doing this ride when our combined ages amount to 224 years and in theory we should all know better! The answer is we have all lost friends, colleagues and in Paul’s case his 63 year old Mother in Law to Pancreatic cancer over the past two years.

Survival rates for Cancer are getting consistently better (and please note that 1 in 3 of us is going to experience some form of cancer in our lifetimes...gulp!) However, there are some exceptions with Pancreatic Cancer being a notable one. As a result this particular nasty form of cancer has been starved of research funds which is where we (and hopefully you) can assist.

We are aiming to raise £25,000 with your help so can I ask that you offer whatever you can to help us reach our target. Whatever your contribution might be you will know that it is ultimately going to help in beating this dreadful disease. Please accept our sincere thanks for your donation and I can honestly say that when our collective backsides and legs are moaning with pain during the ride it will be your generosity which will spur us on.