Hello,

This July I will be cycling from London to Paris to help raise money for Wirral Hospice St John’s.

Most people reading this will be aware, that Wirral Hospice St John’s is where my Dad spent his last days.

Some will also be aware that the hospice was close to my Dad’s heart and in his last couple of years he helped them with filming videos to raise awareness and help with fundraising for the hospice. (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z0AjVeHVD-4&pp=ygUYd2lycmFsIGhvc3BpY2Ugc3Qgam9obidz)

I helped him with some of this filming in the hospice (mostly as a donkey to carry equipment!), but never fully understood the reality of what the situation was for the people and families we were filming, or the support the Hospice offered to them. Only when we were faced with the same situation a couple of years later, did I fully understand what those people were going through and what support the hospice offered.

For us, like many others the Hospice has gave us invaluable support throughout difficult times. This is why I want to raise as much money as I can, so as many people as possible can benefit from this brilliant place, when faced with the worst possible news.

So what a I doing?

Covering approximately 311 miles across four days, cycling from London to Paris, it’s safe to say I might be a bit out of my depth!

During the next year of training (yes Mum, I am going to train… I know I can’t just jump on a bike and cycle to Paris!), I plan to put updates of my training journey, as well as more personal stories about the inspiration that led me here.

Now a bit about my Dad.

The bravest, craziest, most inspiring person I know. For his funeral, we all chose a word that described my Dad, which I then turned into an image of him (Which is the photo above that you can see). I chose the word ‘weird’. Controversial! Reflecting on this, was it the best word to put on an order of service? Possibly not! Do I think it’s correct? Absolutely! It is the trait that made him unique and made him ‘Ken’. It is also the charactersic I believe I share most closely with him.

My Dad loved cycling. He cycled with his friends to Wales and stayed in hostels along the way at the age of fifteen (something we would never be allowed to do now!) and took all of us out on numerous bike rides (until he pushed it too far with all of us and nobody would go back out with him). Both friends and family would often go out on one bike ride and never go back out again!

Next year will be 10 years since my Dad passed away. Doing something he loved, seemed the perfect way to raise money for Wirral Hospice St John’s.

I want to raise £3000 which we will hopefully do through donations on this page. I will also be doing some random bits along the way (to be confirmed), to help push us closer to that figure.

Wirral Hospice St John’s relies mainly on donations to provide the support they do, so any donation, big or small would really be appreciated.