On the first May Bank holiday weekend of 2024 I am taking on the challenge of getting myself and my trusty bike Pablo from Greenwich in London to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

We'll be leaving Greenwich at 3pm on Saturday 4th May, heading down to Newhaven in time for dinner, a hop on a ferry and then off again through the misty morning beauty of Dieppe heading to Paris. The aim is to get there by 4pm CET - hence doing the trip within 24 hours.

Many of you will know that my lot, along with many of the strong folk of Kimmeridge village, have been pretty involved with the fascinating retrieval of 'The Sea Rex' - the Giant Pliosaur Skull that was featured on BBC1’s ‘Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster’ so I thought that it was only fitting that my leg turning could do a bit of good in that direction.

I know that times are tough and understand that not everyone can or will want to donate but just to be clear, all the costs of the trip have been covered by myself and any funds raised go to the museum. Every little helps!

The pliosaur skull is now on permanent display here in Kimmeridge at The Etches Collection.

There is an enormous amount of excitement around the scientific study of the specimen, which has the potential to unlock a treasure trove of secrets for many years to come.

We are now in a race against time to excavate the rest of the body. The awful weather over winter means that the rate of erosion is accelerating and it would be an awful loss to science not to save the body before it is washed out to sea.

Your donation will go towards this important and exciting scientific project to unearth the Pliosaur body. All contributions will go towards the cost of the excavation including:

Planning, Excavation Costs, Collection, Preparation and Preservation, Scientific Study, Gallery Updates and Education

“The excavation of the remaining Pliosaur body is a race against time and nature, so this is a priority for me, especially since we could lose important pieces of the specimen due to rapid cliff erosion. Any help that people can provide towards this unique fundraising opportunity, where you will play an incredible part in making palaeontological history, would be truly grateful.” - Dr Steve Etches, MBE

If we cannot raise enough funds to extract the rest of the Pliosaur, any funds raised would go towards other projects within the museum related to the display, conservation and education of/around the fossils.