This month-long event is held in memory of my aunt, Linda Waterman (1944-2005) who was brain damaged soon after birth. Looking after her was a challenge for her parents (i.e. my grandparents) and her brother (i.e. my dad), but after the family moved to Bishop's Stortford, their lives were made immeasurably easier when Grove Cottage opened in 1966 to offer support for those with learning disabilities. As it would turn out, Linda was the last of the Waterman family left alive - with Grove Cottage by her side for 38 years.

The original building, dating from 1882, wasn't specifically designed as a centre for people with learning disabilities, but the staff at Grove Cottage have made it as fit for purpose as possible for the past 60 years. That was, until this year when the original building on London Road was demolished, to make way for a larger purpose-built facility.

Shortly after turning 40, I was officially classified as being at the milder end of the autism spectrum - which had been obvious to everyone except me, and neatly explained why I'd had unnaturally bad balance and coordination all my life. Consequently, I should be absolutely terrible at roller skating. I shouldn't even be able to stand up on roller skates without flailing and falling over. And yet, I can; not just that, but I've taken it up seriously over the last year and a half, building up skills I never thought I'd be capable of. This includes being competent enough to hold my own outside, on the smooth paths of parks and green spaces at least, and with enough endurance to cover ten miles or more in a single session.

FULL DISCLOSURE, SO THAT YOU KNOW THERE'S NO CHEATING:

The Hundred Mile Skate will be conducted throughout June 2025, when the weather is at its best (hopefully) and the days are at their longest (definitely), in bite-sized chunks of around ten miles at a time, in the parklands of various towns and cities in East Anglia, and on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway - all of which I've measured as accurately as possible so I know the distance I'm covering. Check it if you want: I've made a map of every location.

https://www.rickdangerous.co.uk/rs/

I will be recording all the skate sessions that contribute to the challenge with a dashcam and posting the footage on YouTube. Some of it will be sped up (once I've covered one lap of whichever park I'm lapping) but nothing will be cut out unless it's absolutely necessary (such as being forced to stop for ten minutes). I don't have a smartphone with Strava, or a Fitbit, or a Google watch, or any of that kind of technology, so this is how I will prove my point.

If, for reasons of medical ailments or sustained terrible weather (wet paths and roller skate bearings *do not mix*), I will complete the 100 miles in July as soon as possible. Plan A is to have the distance done *well* before the end of June, though. I will not give up short of the full distance, and will most likely do more.

On behalf of Grove Cottage and my departed aunt, thank you all for your support.