well this time tomorrow I'll be stuck in to this.. good luck me!!

Let me get this out right at the start.. I'm not a cyclist, I don't really even enjoy cycling, but everyone has great days, and some not so great. My ’not-so-great’was 12 December 2015, when just before Christmas I missed my footing halfway down the side of an abandoned slate quarry at the Welsh village of Fron, 1,000 feet up in the Welsh Mountains in the pouring rain, with full diving kit on my back, snapping both Bones in my left leg.  I can’t refer to the incident as a Scuba-Diving one because I didn’t actually get into the water so I refer to it as a ‘Scuba-Walking’ one.

Getting back to Chester was a whole different story, sitting in the passenger seat of my own car holding my foot, which was, to all intents and purposes only held in place by my Achilles tendon and the skin..ouch! ..but the service I got on arrival at The Countess of Chester Hospital A&E an hour and half later was nothing short of fantastic.

Within 90 minutes I had been assessed, X-ray'd, diagnosed, plastered and admitted onto a Ward for supervision & pain relief, where I stayed until being operated on 4 days later. I was discharged the next morning, sporting some natty scars, and a 10 inch long piece of titanium plate bolted to my tibia with 8 stainless steel screws, holding me together.

To say that the service I received in the Countess was ‘good’ would be an understatement; it was exceptional, so I knew that this year my annual fundraising effort had to be to the NHS Trust that put me back together.

So my New Year’s Resolution was to get back on my feet and raise some money for the Countess Hospital.. but what? Their big current Fundraising Initiative is the BABYGROW APPEAL, so all I needed was a challenge. I have entered the Liverpool - Chester - Liverpool Charity Bike Ride on Sunday 3 July, and I aim to do the' biggy'.. and it's 100 miles.. within a time limit!. 

When you appreciate that Icouldn't even put my leg down, never mind put any weight on it.. thischallenge seemed a bit ambitious/ ridiculous/stupid, especially as Ididn’t even own a bike! So anyway.. I have learnt to walk again, Inow own a bike, am in the saddle at every opportunity, building up myfitness levels and strength. 100 miles here we come 

Who knows, maybe even some of my friends, clients and colleagues might even think this effort worthy enough to sponsor me…  we will see!

If you would like to read more about the amazing babygrow appeal
then please see the link below:

http://www.coch.nhs.uk/fundraising/babygrow-appeal.aspx

Please give what you can to a daft old bugger attempting to ride a bike a fair old way for charity whilst still not having a fully healed leg! Even 10p a mile from everyone would be fantastic..Thanks for reading.. and hopefully helping!

Now I just need to buy some sudocrem for my saddlebum.. !