Eleven years since our last ridiculous bike ride, we’ve decided to take to the roads again.

This time it’s personal… and 1000 miles around Scotland in 10 days.

As some of you will know, I lost my father -Andy Kerr - last year to Acute Myeloid Leukemia. If the illness itself was the worst of luck, he at least had the good fortune to have had the best care anyone could have hoped for, and all on his beloved NHS at the Royal Marsden in Surrey.

Everyone there, from the cleaners, to the cooks, the care assistants, the nurses, doctors and consultants didn’t just do their jobs, but went well beyond in kindness and companionship not just to my Dad over the years, but to us as we did our best to support him.

We will never be able to thank them enough, but that’s no excuse for not making a start, and what other way could it be done than on a fundraising bike ride around the countryside he loved?

His life was utterly dedicated to his union work with the Communications Workers Union (CWU), but he was also known to do a bit of fundraising himself.

Over the years he used his negotiating skills to help secure thousands of pounds in funding, the loan of BT vehicles, and release for BT/Openreach workers to take part in the CWU Humanitarian Aid (CWUHA) convoys to eastern Europe.

In recognition of that, the CWU HA appeal on its 30th anniversary year has been named in his honour - something I’m sure he would be both chuffed and embarrassed by in equal measure!

The Andy Kerr Project aims to raise £40,000 to refurbish a children’s surgery ward in a hospital in Chisinau, Moldova, purchasing new furniture, new electrical equipment and an indoor play area dedicated to his memory.

My Dad was a passionate internationalist, he understood that the struggles people face around the world are fundamentally the same, and so it seemed the most apt thing to do was raise whatever we can for causes close to him abroad as well as closer to home.

In that spirit, we want your cash!

Please donate whatever you can afford - ideally splitting between the Royal Marden and

CWU HA - and we’ll get the miles in!