Hello again. It's me. The person who, not long ago, complained their way from London to Brighton on a bicycle. You might have thought (and I certainly hoped) that I had learned my lesson. That I'd hang up the Lycra, sell the bike, and return to my true calling as a sofa-based athlete.

You would be wrong. So, so wrong.

In a decision that has my legs, my brain, and my long-suffering family staging a full-scale intervention, I have signed up for another charity cycle. But this is not just another charity cycle. This is the sequel that makes the original look like a gentle pedal to the corner shop.

I will be flying to Sri Lanka to join the Trek4Ceylon (T4C) 2026 Ride. Over four days, I will be attempting to cycle 507 kilometres (that's 315 miles!) from Colombo to the very doors of St. Luke's Hospital.

Let's just take a moment to look at the itinerary of agony, shall we?

Day 1 & 2: A gentle "warm-up" of 229km along the coast. My dictionary defines 'warm-up' differently. It usually involves a cup of tea, not cycling the distance between London and Sheffield.

Day 3: This is the big one. The day I'm trying not to think about. I will be cycling 208 KILOMETRES IN A SINGLE DAY. From Dambulla to Elephant Pass. In the Sri Lankan heat. I've done the maths, and I'll likely be hallucinating by lunchtime. I expect to see elephants, and they'll probably be on bikes, overtaking me.

Day 4: A final, triumphant 70km push to the finish line at St. Luke's Hospital, where I will likely collapse in a heap and have to be treated in the very ward I'm raising money for.

Oh, and there's a "Fun Sunset Ride" thrown in there. I'm sure it will be fun. In the same way that a root canal is a "fun" dental procedure.

But Here's Why I'm Upgrading the Suffering...

As comical as my impending doom is, the reason for it is incredibly serious and important. This isn't just about the ride; it's about the destination. We are riding to the very project we are funding.

Every single excruciating pedal stroke is to raise money for St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital in Puttur. This hospital was once a beacon of hope for its community, but the civil war left it in ruins and barely able to function.

The money from our first ride helped, but the job isn't done. The funds from this ride will continue the vital renovation work, expanding services and bringing quality healthcare back to a region that has been through so much. We are helping to rebuild a place of healing, one agonising kilometre at a time.

When I am sweating my way through the Sri Lankan countryside, questioning my sanity, the thought of that hospital and the people it serves will be the only thing keeping me going.

Sponsor My Self-Inflicted Misery (The Donation Menu 2.0)

Your donation is a direct investment in the health and future of a community. It is also, indirectly, an investment in my ability to complain less. Here’s the upgraded menu:

£10 - The "Hydration Hero" Fund: Buys the mountain of water I'll need to survive the humidity. You'll literally be preventing me from turning into a human-sized raisin.

£25 - The Anti-Hallucination Pack: This will fund the emergency sugar, caffeine, and electrolytes required to get me through that monstrous 208km day.

£50 - The "Pound per 10km" Patron: Your name will be mentally invoked as I tick off each 10km block of pain.

£100+ - The "Elephant Pass Legend" Donation: For this level of generosity, I will send you a personal, sweaty, and probably delirious thank-you video from somewhere on that brutal third day.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for digging deep. Your support means the world to me and, more importantly, to the community in Puttur.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and practice crying on a bike.

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Thanks for taking the time to visit the T4C2026 JustGiving page.

The Trek4Ceylon Team has its nucleus in a group of school friends from Sri Lanka, now established among the Sri Lankan diaspora community overseas.

Passionate to support their troubled homeland, and to give Sri Lankan children of tomorrow the opportunities they had enjoyed, the friends – with other alumni, international friends and contacts – came up with the idea of a charity cycle ride from Colombo to Jaffna.

The cycle ride recreates the sport, fun and bonding that marks our connection, while also providing a visible means to attract support. Symbolically, by traversing the island from Colombo to the war-devastated north – it offers a journey of heart-rending beauty, healing and hope.

The T4C2026 organising committee would like to thank the brand ambassadors Dr. Pia De Girolamo, Dan Norton and Scott McGrory for their support.

www.trek4ceylon.com

T4C2026 - Why We Ride?

● St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital Puttur was identified by Trek4Ceylon in 2025 as a hospital to renovate and offer medical services.

● From 2025, we've made an initial commitment to support St Luke's for five years.

● Each year Trek4Ceylon will set-out the project to be implemented using the rider funds / donations

● Trek4Ceylon 2026 funds will be used for the renovation of the main building to offer daily Out Patient Department (OPD) and Emergency Treatment Unit (ETU) services to adults and children

St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital, Puttur

St. Luks’s Methodist Hospital was established in 1901 by the Methodist Mission in the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Today it is a barely functioning hospital. The hospital was known for the care it used to provide the community through in-patient care, outpatient care, maternity services and dental services.

Due to the protracted civil war and lack of facilities and personnel, the hospital ceased to be functional. Once the war ceased, the Puttur Methodist Mission was determined to keep this hospital open to serve the public. However, due to lack of funding they have been unable to renovate, equip and bring in the needed medical professionals to provide services. Today the hospital provides just 2 hours of consultation services provided by a retired medical officer on weekdays.

Trek4Ceylon Partnership

Trek4Ceylon has identified St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital as a needy cause to invest. This hospital run by the Methodist as a mission hospital has proven its commitment to the wellbeing of the local community and has their acceptance and respect.

Trek4Ceylon through the T4C2026 ride will raise funds towards the renovation of the building that houses the outpatient department (OPD). Three consultancy rooms are to be set-up and equipped to support doctors. One of the doctors will be a paediatric specialist. Laboratory services and pharmacy services will also be offered to patients.

Future rides will expand these services to include in-patient services. There will be a special focus on offering services that are not particularly addressed well by the Government health care system in this region. These services would likely include treatment and care for special needs children, Diabetic Clinic, Short- and Long-term rehabilitation, Palliative Care, Maternity Services and Dental Services.

Trek4Ceylon has its own qualified and experienced medical representatives on the St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital Board to guide these strategic investments with accountability.

No donation is too small - so please dig deep.

Thank you for your generosity.

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.