Thank you very much for taking the time to visit my JustBegging page.

When I was a boy I used to cycle to school. Nothing unusual in that. Fast forward 30-odd years. At the age of 46 and weighing in at just under 15st, I have started to cycle to work occasionally. Why?

Because on Saturday May 29 I will set off with my five cycling chums -- Raymond Ball, Pete "Binky" Binks, Paul Clark (aka Paul the Younger, Paul the Thinner, Paul the Fitter), Captain David "Jock" McGurk and Dr Jim Shipman -- to cycle 875 miles from Land's End to John o'Groats.

Most cyclists undertaking this challenge do it in 10-14 days. We aim to complete it in seven.

Here's the maths: that's an average of 125 miles a day, spending 9-10 hours in the saddle each day for seven days in a row. Just imagine the effects of THAT on a certain area of our anatomy.

The six of us are doing it for four charities. I am cycling in aid of Cardiac Risk in the Young (see details left).

My colleagues and I at the Herts and Essex Observer have been touched by the story of Bishop's Stortford schoolgirl Caroline "Caz" Johnstone, who collapsed while out with her friends in a club one night in June 2008. She never regained consciousness. Six days later her parents, Lesley and Johnny, took the decision to turn off her life support machine. She was 17 when she died on June 12 (the day I turned 45).

Caroline's sudden death has never been properly explained. About 12 children and young adults die each week from unexplained heart conditions. Many of the causes of these sudden deaths can be detected by a simple and inexpensive screening, which is provided by CRY and similar charities -- unlike in some other countries, it is not available through the state.

Caroline's family and friends have been raising money for the past two years to help provide these screenings for young people so that other families don't have to go through what the Johnstones went through.

Thank you for reading this far. I hope you feel able to donate. Your support will be much appreciated and will help to spur me on from May 29 to June 4.

 

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.