Thanks for visiting our JustGiving page.

We - Theresa Fleetwood, Claire Trow-Smith, Janet Carruzzo, Sian Boston and Adrian Green have decided to take on this amazing challenge to raise money for Helen & Douglas House.

We were meant to do this in June 2020 but it was cancelled because of Covid. It was then re arranged for this June but has now been put back to 8-12 September 2021. Fingers crossed France opens up and lets us in.

The London to Paris bike ride is a massive challenge for us all taking us completely out of our comfort zones. So we are nervous but excited about taking on this challenge and are now going over 70 miles training a week. We will be cycling 317 miles in 4 days, with 89 miles on the first day alone with ascents of 5,719 ft from Croydon to Dover - yikes! .

The most important thing is we will be raising money for a great local charity. Helen & Douglas House helps support local children and their families on their physically and emotionally exhausting journey during their child's short life with vital respite care, end-of-life care and supporting the whole family through the devastating experience of losing of a child. The charity cares for children at the hospice in Oxford, at home and in hospital and are available 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

We are blessed with healthy children or nieces or nephews so would like to help other children less fortunate and their families by raising money for Helen & Douglas House.

One of the many children who are cared for by the hospice is Lily-Mae. Lily-Mae is a 6 year old girl who has been coming to Helen & Douglas House since 2017. Born in 2013, Lily-Mae was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome in 2015, which causes regular seizures which is a life shortening condition. It took some time for Mum Leanne to come to Helen & Douglas House, but she is now glad she did as it gives her the chance to be Mum, rather than carer and to get support.

Leanne Lily-Mae's Mum says:

£10 - could pay for an hour's care respite care for Lily-Mae at the hospice.

£20 - could pay for a one hour bereavement counselling session for parents.

£30 - could pay for play therapy for a child at the hospice.

£50 - could pay for one of the hospices' community nurses to visit a child at home to help with pain management.

So please give generously to help families like Lily-Mae's who simply would not cope without the wonderful support of Helen & Douglas House.

Helen & Douglas House cannot take away of pain of losing a child but they can walk alongside them on their difficult journey every step of the way to help them cope.

Thank you so much for your support which we hugely appreciate.