Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.



On 25 April, I’ll be triking the 65km route of the Dirty Reiver through Kielder Forest, alongside a team from Experience Community. It’s the UK’s largest gravel cycling event, set in the remote border region of England and Scotland.

It’ll be a proper test of endurance, as the longest I’ve ever ridden is 28 miles.

I’ll be sharing training updates over the next few weeks so you can follow how I’m getting on.



Six years ago, I was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition that causes muscle stiffness and my ability to walk. Before my diagnosis, I spent a lot of time outdoors running and walking, but as my condition progressed, these simple things I took for granted were no longer possible. There is no treatment or cure for my condition. Thankfully it isn’t life-shortening, but it is definitely life-changing.

Living with a physical disability impacts far more than movement, it can exclude you from so much, especially the outdoors. It can feel isolating, and a lack of knowledge about what’s possible can make it difficult to adjust to a new way of living. I needed to adapt, I just didn’t know how.



Two years ago, I came across Experience Community, and that changed everything. They introduced me to adaptive cycling and riding an ICE trike, which became a real turning point.

Riding an ICE trike has been transformative both physically and mentally. It’s not only great exercise and builds strength, it has had a hugely positive effect on my overall wellbeing. I loved it so much, l was lucky enough to buy my own.


I now not only trike in Leeds with Experience Community, but also locally with Sheffield Cycling for All, and I’ve recently started climbing with the brilliant team at Climbing for All Sheffield, based at the Foundry in Kelham Island. None of this would have been possible without finding Experience Community in the first place, they gave me the confidence to keep trying new things.



Off-road adaptive cycling can be hard to access because of cost, lack of equipment and simply not knowing what’s out there. Organisations like Experience Community and Sheffield Cycling for All are working hard to change this, with the aim of making adaptive cycling accessible to everyone. Climbing for All Sheffield is doing the same for climbing, helping children, young people and adults, with a wide range of disabilities, enjoy climbing, be visible and included within the Sheffield climbing community.



I’m riding to raise money for these amazing organisations, which have genuinely changed my life and continue to change the lives of so many others:



Experience Community – https://www.experiencecommunity.co.uk



Climbing for All Sheffield – https://climbingforall.org



Sheffield Cycling for All – https://www.sheffieldcyclingforall.org



Thank you for taking the time to read this page. Please look out for my updates, and any donation, no matter the size, would mean so much to me and make a real difference.



Siobhan x