London 2 Paris Charity Bike Ride

One year on....the end!

2007-09-06T20:06:00.000+01:00

It has taken a year to complete but finally we have reached the end. Tonight Jemma, Jackie and myself presented the final cheque of £5208.25 to Diane Humphreys the John Eastwood Hospice manager. Diane and everyone involved at the hospice are over the moon with the donation and would like to thank everyone who has been kind enough to contribute. The money will hopefully enable the hospice to purchase a new special care bed and mattress and also have some left to go towards some much needed in-care room refurbishment.

Come on Jemma move out, lets see the cheque!

....that's better!

Looking back through the blog, shows what a journey we have all been on. I must say it has been a very enjoyable one (until the ride itself!). There have been many highlights, like the charity night, prize draw night, finally reaching the Eiffel Tower etc but the biggest of all has been witnessing the generosity and support of all our friends, family and even total strangers.

Thank you everyone....my mum would have been so proud.

£5208....Final Figure?

2007-08-15T07:50:00.000+01:00

News Flash........It looks like we have raised £5208. How brilliant is that! The official presentation will take place on August 30th 2007 so I will report back then with the final figure.

£4000 plus....and still more coming in!

2007-07-08T20:20:00.000+01:00

It is time to wind things down now and start collecting the last of the sponsor money in but as one last effort Jackie ran a Teddy Bear tombola at Kingsway School's summer fete. The majority of the teddy bears were kindly donated by the grandma of Jane, a friend of ours, thank you. A fantastic £56 was raised, half going to John Eastwood and half going to the school supporters fund.

With the money raised from the tombola and sponsorship that has arrived this week, the grand total has now gone over the £4000 mark, incredible. Money is still arriving so this figure will go up a bit more yet....amazing!

The Ride!

2007-07-02T21:09:00.000+01:00

Sorry this has took a while but I have been recuperating in Menorca, great to have a break from everything and have time with Jemma and Jackie!

This is how the trip went.

13th June 2007 - Day 1: London to Calais

After a hearty breakfast it was out onto Blackheath Common at 6:30 for registration to get an early start of 7:15. Skyline, the organisers, collected our baggage, handed out the route plan and wished us bon voyage! All we had to do now was cycle for four days making sure we followed the orange pointers that were conveniently positioned at road turnings, all the way to Paris....easy!! (If you cycled more than two miles without seeing a marker you had gone wrong....who would be careless enough to do that!)

To keep check and make sure everyone was ok, there was a team that drove in front of the cyclists, one that was always at the rear and a maintenance van on hand if anyone required assistance.

The first stage of the journey took us from the common, past Dartford and to our first water stop at Harvell (22 miles). The first 15 miles was along busy roads but country lanes after that. Only one tough hill so far but it was starting to get hot.

Water stops and lunch were provided by Skyline. These were excellent every day, the choice of refreshments and food were top notch, the catering company definitely got a big thumbs up. As the ride progressed you realised how important these fuel breaks were, in fact at times, knowing that the stop was only a few miles away, was the only thing that kept me going!

After a few cereal bars, bananas and a hand full of jelly babies, off I set. After skirting Maidestone, cycling through some really picturesque Kent countryside and tackling a killer hill at 40 miles, I arrived at Doddington (47 miles) for lunch.

After re-fuelling of I set, in what was now, very hot weather. Through Newnham and then up to....whoops!....wrong already! Not on my own though but the other 20 or so riders who I caught up with as they were reading the map and scratching their heads decided to carry on off the map and find there own way! not me, no way could i keep up with them so i turned round and went back to the lunch stop point and started again....6 mile detour....not what i needed!

I now felt like I was cycling against the clock (ferry departure 6pm!). The rest of the journey was very hilly and tough going. On reaching 70 miles I really faded, this was the most miles i had completed in training so perhaps it was psychological! I eventually arrived at Dover (91 miles) after 7 hours 40 minutes on the saddle, the last 44 miles I only had one 5 minute stop because i was worried about missing the ferry....no panic....made it with 3/4 hour to spare!

The day did not end when we arrived in Calais, we still had a further six miles to cycle to the Holiday Inn hotel. This was done in a record time due to two gangs of youths throwing bottles at each other....lovely!....welcome to France! What a day that had been!! 97 miles - 7 hrs 40 min - Average 11.8 mph - Weather: Red hot!

14th June 2007 - Day 2: Calais to Abbeville

Luckily this was a later start, breakfast 7:30, cycling by 8:15. Legs were aching and dead and only just managed the hilly and hard first 23 miles to the water stop at Desvres. Felt awful and energyless but the 4 cereal bars, 3 bananas and 1000 jelly babies did the trick, the next 21 miles was the first time i actually enjoyed the cycling! Arrived near Campagne for lunch (44 miles) which was good again.

After lunch I really enjoyed the ride. The terrain was quite flat, which made it easier going, and found time to stop for a drink with Tinkerbell and a few other riders. This was more how i expected it to be, relaxing and leisurely, country side beautiful, THEN....the heavens opened and I got drowned in torrential rain. This lasted all the way to the Ibis hotel at Abbeville....oh well good why it lasted!

All the bikes were locked inside out of the rain, quite a few as you can see!72 miles - 6 hrs 23 min - Average 11.2 mph - Weather: Sunny and warm then torrential rain!

15th June 2007 - Day 3: Abbeville to Beauvais

Today, we were told was a leisurely day. Before the rain yesterday I did actually start to enjoy myself so looked forward to this one! After a mile I reached a milestone of completing 3000 miles on my new bike (not bad from August and with two month lay off through injury!)

I decided to make the most of the "leisurely" day and enjoy the scenery. This photo does not do the view justice but it was really lovely....for the first few miles!!

Even though I had got up feeling good and looking forward to the day, after 3 miles I managed to get lost again. How could I, all you had to do was follow the orange markers (see photo)!

Then the aching started in my legs and neck, managed to make it to Heaucourt, the water stop (20 miles) but it was painful and hard. After refreshments and rubbing in plenty of deep heat, it was time to carry on and try and reach the lunch point at Sarcus. The weather had everything, sun, cloud, rain and an extremely strong head wind (25mph +). After battling against the elements for 43 miles, I finally reached lunch, excellent....I had three plates full of rice! The re-fuel helped a lot, the deep heat had started working, I now felt reasonably comfy again. I felt good for the last 20 miles even though the head wind was constant. For the first time in the ride i actually rode alongside someone for a distance which was probably another reason why the spirits were lifted.

We eventually arrived at the Premierre Classe hotel (it was that bad we had to change to another hotel!) in Beauvais at 6 pm, even the pros thought that was a hard day....where did the leisurely day go!!!!

65 miles - 6 hrs 05 min - Average 10.8 mph - Weather: Everything especially wind!

16th June 2007 - Day 4: Beauvais to Paris

Final day at last! not before time! Now this was an easier day. We set off the slowest first (count me in that group) and made our way to Auvers for lunch (35 miles) which was next to the River Saine.

Everyone congregated and put on their London2Paris T shirt ready to cycle together into Paris, meeting point was a park a few miles away from the Eiffel Tower.

Things were getting exciting now, 120 riders all in the same colours, riding through the centre of Paris, bringing the traffic to a stand still. The final stages of the journey was finally here, up the Champs de Ellysees, past the Arc de Triomphe....

Turn left....and YES finally there after nearly 300 miles....THE EIFFEL TOWER!

120 very relieved and emotional fund raising cyclists!

What can I say after all that! To be honest, I did not particularly enjoy it. Even though I had trained hard, the days were too long and too tough to make it a pleasant experience. I never seemed to have any time to relax at the end of the day and during the day it was just a matter of trying to get through it....BUT....the crowd on the trip were brilliant (especially Alun for his support and nutrition advice and Vinny and Jay for the Paris night out and touristy bit on Sunday), the organisation was fantastic and the sense of achievement is really good.

Most of all though non of this would have happened if was not for the support that you have all given me and the John Eastwood Hospice over the previous months and together it looks like we will raise hopefully a sum of £4000....that makes it all worth while....THANK YOU ALL AND A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO JACKIE AND JEMMA, HOPEFULLY I WILL HAVE MORE TIME FOR YOU NOW!

Footnote: Fellow cyclist Marcus Carrozzo (below) raffled off a mountain bike to raise money for his chosen charity. His mates won the bike and offered Marcus the bike back so he could raise more money, on one condition (which he agreed during a boozy night out)....he had to ride his bike 100 miles through the Alps then cycle 11 miles and 4800ft up the famous Alpe d’Huez....wearing a tutu....and only two days after finishing the Paris challenge!

WHAT A CRAZY FOOL!! HOPE IT ALL WENT WELL MARCUS....WELL DONE!

Got the T Shirt!

2007-06-17T18:39:00.001+01:00

Yes done it! What a relief that is all over! There you go mum hope you were watching. Unfortunately i could not update the blog in france but i will post the full story and photos in the next few weeks. Here is Just a quick summary of what happened. 286 miles (97 on first day) sun, rain, wind, thunderstorms the lot! Hard very hard! Longest time on saddle over 8 hours. All very tiring but got carried through by some great company. More to come later....

PS....Anyone want to by a bike? One owner, slightly above average mileage!

The challenge begins!

2007-06-12T17:31:00.001+01:00

Well i cant believe it, after all those months training and fund raising the main event itself has arrived....and yes i am a bit nervous! Rob picked me up this morning and kindly drove me to london (thanks rob for this, much appreciated). We arrived in Bow, london at 12, this just left a 9 mile ride to the Claredon hotel, Blackheath (nice place, right across from the common where we start tomorrow), which i found.... no problem. The bike is now safely locked up ready for tomorrows 6:30 start. apparently, 50 other cyclists are stopping here tonight but not met up with anyone as yet. I hope the weather is like today, dry and warm but what ever it throws at us, there is no turning back now! Well the fun starts early in the morning so i best go and find myself a pasta dinner and them get to bed for an early night! I will try and post on a daily basis to keep you informed of my progress so keep logging on! :-)

Only Days to Go!

2007-06-02T12:28:00.000+01:00

How fast is the time going! Only 10 more days and I will be on the first leg of my trip. Training has tailed off now, I will be cycling short distances up to next weekend then that is it. The donations are still coming in and we have now reached £3600....way above earlier predictions....what will the end figure be?

By the way, did I mention that Derby are now in the Premiership!....just for the Forest fans out there, here are some photos of the Wembley day out...Great day....Are you watching Nottingham...!

Wembley tomorrow

2007-05-27T20:07:00.001+01:00

Nothing to do with my charity event but if Derby win expect more photos now that I have a new toy!

Blogging using my mobile!

2007-05-27T19:46:00.001+01:00

I have just sent this photo using my phone to test if i can put a posting on the blog by using my mobile....result!.... looks like I can. This will mean that when I am on my charity ride, I should be able to update as I go along. How exciting!

Training coming to an end....at last!

2007-05-27T15:06:00.000+01:00

Bank Holiday weekend and off we went camping to Haworth, Yorkshire. Here we are with our friends, a little cold but making the most of the dry weather why it lasted!

Just because we were away camping, doing camping things like sitting outside in the cold, BBQing and drinking, it did not mean the training had stopped. With just over two weeks to go before the big event this weekend was to be my last long ride....and not before time!

On Saturday morning I set off, no where in particular, hoping to get 60 or 70 miles under my belt. I did not account for the Yorkshire terrain, the term....up hill down dale....comes to mind, mainly the up hill!!!

I ended up cycling to the top of the world about six times, it was that high I was even looking down on the wind farms. Two points on the map give heights of 388 and 434 metres. I thought cycling up to Crich in Derbyshire was steep....turns out that is just a mole hill!

My trip took me from Haworth, across Keighley Moor, up to Skipton and then back to Haworth, mainly on minor roads. 50 miles of beautiful countryside covered but that was the only good thing about it....way too hard for me, not enjoyable at all. My average speed was only 9 mph (usually 12) and I do not think I could have covered another mile. My plan for Sunday was to have another ride....CANCELLED!

Top tip....if you go to Yorkshire use your car, don't take your bike!

The winners are......The Hospice to the sum of £487

2007-05-20T20:46:00.000+01:00

Saturday Prize Draw night was great. Lots of friends out, lovely meal, a few drinks, and of course the most important thing....£487 raised!

Thank you to everyone who helped us in the selling of the tickets and thank you to everyone who bought one.

Unbelievably, out of 2435 tickets a number of people won more than one of the 28 prizes up for grabs. Well done to D Brown for not just winning the first prize of a £50 Meal Voucher and a bottle of Champagne for the Griffins Head at Papplewick, but also a ladies cut and blow dry at Stephen Johns Hairdresses....hope you have a great night!

Here are some photos of the draw followed by the full list list of winners. I will be getting in touch with you lucky folk over the next week.

Jackie giving the tickets a good shuffle!

First one out the hat is.....

....and that concludes the draw!

List of winners

1
£50 Meal Voucher and a bottle of Champagne
Kindly donated by - Griffins Head - Papplewick
3579
D Brown

2
Twycross Zoo Family Ticket
Kindly donated by - Twycross Zoo
654
George Lamb

3
Two Theatre Tickets
Kindly donated by - Theatre Royal Nottingham
1167
Jane Flint

4
Vegan Perfumes, Toiletries and Skin Care
Kindly donated by - Dolma Products
3728
A Turner

5
Two Child Tickets for the White Post Farm
Kindly donated by - White Post Farm
3730
D Florence

6
Famous Grouse Whisky
Kindly donated by - Tyler Brothers
882
Ken

7
£10 Tesco Voucher
Kindly donated by - Tescos
1362
Chris Robo

8
East Midland Airport travel pack
Kindly donated by - East Midland Airport
1121
Lorraine

9
Two Rugs
Kindly donated by - Kirkby Carpets
1110
Lorraine

10
Framed Print – Flowers in Vase
Kindly donated by - Nathalie & Carl
4018
Kelly West

11
Bottle of Cava
Kindly donated by - Sam & Gail
3147
Jane S

12
Box of Chocolates
Kindly donated by - Antoinette & Peter
122
S Johnson

13
BBQ Utensil Set
Kindly donated by - Antoinette & Peter
624
George Lamb

14
Two Candles and Holders
Kindly donated by - Antoinette & Peter
1203
Kev Flint

15
Scrummy Stuff – Bath Smellies
Kindly donated by - Rachel
4564
J Brewin

16
French Perfumes 2 off
Kindly donated by - Antoinette & Peter
3528
Vic

17
French Perfumes 2 off
Kindly donated by - Antoinette & Peter
1710
Jenny Orme

18
Small Vase
Kindly donated by - Antoinette & Peter
660
George Lamb

19
Ring Holder
Kindly donated by - Antoinette & Peter
692
Chris Maslen

20
Bottle of Port
Kindly donated by - Christine
4708
Dad

21
Famous Grouse Whisky
Kindly donated by - Anne
1360
C Etches

22
Picnic Cool Bag
Kindly donated by - Derbyshire BS
4613
J Seymour

23
Winter Scarf
Kindly donated by - Steph
778
Janet Stone

24
Make-up Bag
Kindly donated by - Steph
2585
Karen Guy

25
Contemporary Cushions 3 mixed
Kindly donated by - Teresa
88
J Shore

26
Pair Contemporary Cushions
Kindly donated by - Teresa
2007
E Holland

27
Ladies Cut and Blow Dry
Kindly donated by - Stephen Johns Hairdressers
3580
D Brown

28
Wine glasses
Kindly donated by - Brian & Jackie
711
Peter Goodall

Other information....

Just because I was out late on Saturday does not mean the training stops! Saturday I did 33 miles and Sunday I covered 60 miles (felt really good....must have been the Guiness!). I am now nursing my back through to the charity event so took it easy again in the week and rested by only cycling a few miles. Week schedule 190, overall 136.

More Prizes....More Miles!

2007-05-14T20:20:00.000+01:00

Prize draw day is getting closer (Saturday evening to be precise!) and donations are still coming in. Our friend Joyce told Stephen, owner of Stephen John Hairstyling, about the charity event and to help the hospice he has kindly donated a cut and blow dry worth £17.95 as a prize for the draw. Absolutely fantastic, thank you Steve, it is very very much appreciated. Thank you Joyce for spreading the word!

I would also like to pass on my thanks and appreciation to Mrs Renshaw, who has donated a bottle of whisky and Christine who has donated a bottle of Port. Two more great prizes, what a brill draw this is turning out to be! If you want to have a chance of winning one of the wide selection of great prizes and at the same time, help and assist the hospice in providing care for the people who really do need it, then you only have a few more days to purchase a ticket!

After last weekends marathon of a bike ride, I decided to take it easier this week and recuperate. I took it TOO EASY! Three out of five days I did not do any....terrible....were did the commitment go? To punish myself I decided to double my intended efforts at the weekend. On Saturday I rode into Derbyshire and snaked my way to Kedleston Hall where I met up with Jackie and Jemma....40 miles (planned)! This was a tough ride as some of the hills nearly matched the one at Crich....phew....hard work!

Then on Sunday I biked up to Clumber Park and looped back round via Broughton, Eakring and Wellow....50 miles (unplanned). A lot flatter than the previous day but boy....did I get wet!

My original plan was to do 100 miles in the week but I ended up doing 122...that will teach me for slacking off!

Event Makes Local Paper!

2007-05-10T20:46:00.000+01:00

The Chad rang me up the other day to find out more about my fund raising event. Great news is an article about the trip has been published. My words have been spruced up a bit but it is still a good article to help promote the cause. It has worked, after reading the piece, a kind neighbour came round with £10 sponsorship!

Click HERE to read the article.

Rugby Ball donation raises £50

2007-05-07T16:04:00.000+01:00

A big thank you to my friends Jane, Damian, Tom and Toby and Nottingham Rugby Club.

Jane spoke to Ben Thompson, Operations Manager of Nottingham RFC, about our charity fund raising efforts and the imminent prize draw. Thank you to Ben and the rugby club, they donated a signed Gilbert rugby ball for the draw.

What a brilliant prize, too good of a opportunity to miss! Jane volunteered to try and get extra funds by holding a 'pick a player' at the clubs weekend presentation/family barbeque. What a great idea as another £50 was raised....fantastic....thank you Jane

Here are Toby and Tom helping out with the ticket sales....you did a brilliant job lads, thanks!

I would like to thank Tom Mawhood for allowing Jane to raise funds for the John Eastwood Hospice as Nottingham RFC chosen charity is Olivers Army. This charity was set up in the memory of Oliver Liley who sadly lost his fight to ALD last summer.

ALD is a rare terminal illness which is usually only detected when a young boy shows symptoms of the illness, by which time it is too late to try and save his life. Ironically it is when ones brother becomes ill that it is possible to test other males and if they do not show signs can be checked and monitored and if signs of ALD are developing it is possible to halt the disease by carrying out bone marrow transplantation.

If you would like to find out more about ALD, please visit the Oliver's Army website at www.www.oliversarmy.org/. The site is set up to broaden the awareness of this terrible disease and in turn to raise revenues to help fund research in the hope that one day somebody else won't lose their child in a similar way.

A BIG thank you again to Tom, Toby, Jane, Damien, Tom, Ben and Nottingham RFC.

Biggest test yet....and passed!

2007-05-07T14:38:00.000+01:00

This weeks cycling target was 210 miles. The majority being the May Day bank holiday weekend, this was to be the biggest test yet of how the training is going. The idea was to go camping with friends for a couple of nights at Sacrewell Farm & Country Centre in Thornhaugh, Peterborough, and for me to cycle there and back!!

The trip started on Friday dinner, 12:30 to be exact.... off I set. Looking at the map, not knowing exactly which way to go and how many miles it would be, I decided to head direct to Rultand choosing minor roads rather than the busy and fast A1 or A606. The route was very enjoyable, deserted roads, picturesque countryside and going through lovely villages such as Harby, Waltham-on-the-Wolds, Edmondthorpe and Collyweston.

As pleasant as it was, I was relieved to reach Rutland as I knew base camp was probably only an hour away!

Spot on, 6:30 and I finally arrived. The route I took was 70 miles and I had been in the saddle for 5 1/2 hours. An average of just over 12mph....went well....pleased with myself!

After freshening myself up and trying not to look to tired I sprinted onto the camp site and met up with Jackie, Jemma and friends.... and of course have a small celebration drink!

Next showered and changed....and then all out for an evening meal!

The next day, after a good breakfast come dinner we had a walk round the centre, Jemma loved it....so did the boys!

In the afternoon everyone drove (I followed on the bike to stretch my legs out - 18 mile round trip) to nearby lovely Stamford which was once a major wool town which has retained much of its old world charm. Good place for a night out as the town boasts 30 pubs, 20 restaurants and over 10 hotels and guest houses. We decided to come back that night and try out Mi Familia, a South American restaurant (very nice).

After a late night and not much sleep, the next day was time to cycle home. Shame really, we were all enjoying the break....and I knew I had a long way to go! Oh well....smile for the camera....off we go....see you in about 7 hours!

Now I knew the area I decided to go a slightly different way back and hopefully lose a few miles. Mmmm....which way now!

Finally arrived home after cycling 65 miles. The time taken was an overall time of 7 1/2 hours due to head wind, toilet stops (many!) and looking at the map (even more!). I was on the saddle for 6 1/4 hours averaging just over 10 mph.

The weekend was brill, good company (thanks Jackie, Jemma, Joe, Chris, Rob, Jan, Pete and Jane) , good weather and I covered the mileage we will be doing daily on the charity ride which has helped psychologically.

Week target 210 miles, actual 200, passable!

Fund Raising Night....Great Success!

2007-04-30T22:22:00.000+01:00

First of all, please can Jackie and I thank everyone who helped, attended and donated to fund raising night....you all made it a great success! Thank you very very much!

What a brilliant turn out it was as well, great to see so many friends together having a good time and helping raise over £800 for the hospice....YES £800 made on the night!!! A special thank you to the friends who helped out on the night and a massive thank you to The Score who not only provided some fantastic entertainment but gave me their nights fee of £140 back as a donation....thank you lads....everyone has commented on how good you were....That's entertainment! (Pete, hope the blisters have healed!)

The setting up started mid day, The Score eager to get going. Thanks Chris for helping me with laying the room out.

DJ Fearney arrived with his vinyls....yes vinyls....how good is that! Thanks Steve the disco was superb and your auctioning skills were impeccable! Steve auctioned off the House of Commons whisky for £70 and raised another £25 for the GMTV pack (decided to auction rather than eBay it!) Thank you to the buyers.

Everyone arrived early and soon got into the swing of things. The helpers were soon in top gear!

Jackie and Ian stood the door welcoming everyone and collecting unpaid ticket money! Ticket profit £210

Sam and Gail sold and marked the quizzes making £68 and also went round with a scratch card game raising £20 for the charity and £20 for Tony!

Teresa took control of Roll the Dice and netted £59.50. Congratulations to Chris and Steph who won the £100 Photographer session.

A really nice touch to the evening was provided by Margaret, a Hospice volunteer since it opened! Thank you Margaret and the Hospice for the support and kind words.

As the night went on £120 of donations came in and the brilliant Score handed back their £140!

Jackie did the prize draw round and collected £100.... THE GRAND TOTAL COMING TO £812.50

The rest of the night was all music, drinking....and lots of fun!

Jackie mingling!

Social drinkers - Lee , Jackie (mingling again!), Dave and Liz

Rachel and Jane happy, Nat being rude!

Tomo's Team winners of the Sport's Quiz. Rumour has it they phoned a friend!

Claire, Daved and Sally showing off their John Eastwood Rosettes!

Lee, Nicola, Lynn and Neil....Mum would have loved the night!

....and there was even a surprise visit from the PROCLAIMERS! I WOULD WALK FIVE HUNDRED MILES AND I WOULD........

THANK YOU EVERYONE, I LOVED THE NIGHT AND I HOPE YOU ALL DID TOO.

PS. Did anyone take any pictures? If you did can you send them to me please so I can add them to this post.

THE NEXT DAY

After a late night, me and Jackie had to get up early (6:30) and get back to the hard bit....training!

Jackie was doing a 10k run at Pride Park, Derby, so I cycled there to watch her. This was her first 10k and also the first run for the Heanor Running Club, making her time of 0:54:29 even more impressive. Well done duck!

After the race I still had another 35 miles to do to keep up with my training schedule so I set of into Derbyshire. I did a right here, a left there and before I knew it....I was going up the steepest hill in the world and ended up in Crich!

That was tough! Managed to do 65 miles in total, hard but I felt quite good considering. The weeks aim was 150 miles but I actually did 157, so pleased that I had met another weeks target. Only six weeks to go so lots more miles to pull in yet!!!

THE PHOTOGRAPHER....£100 Donation!

2007-04-26T21:13:00.000+01:00

When I thought the donations could not get any better along comes another fantastic gift. THE PHOTOGRAPHER Cathy-Marie Robinson has kindly donated a photographic session to include one mounted and framed photograph to the value of £100.

Cathy it was a pleasure meeting you today and thank you very very much for your generosity. By the way, the photos you have on display in the shop/studio are stunning! I would recommend anyone to pay a visit and look at your work.

To make the most of this wonderful donation, I have decided that at the fund raising evening I will run a dice rolling competition. At 50 pence a go, the first person to get four of a kind will win the prize! Also there will be separate prizes for the first three people to throw a run of 1, 2, 3 and 4. If there is no winner by the end of the night the highest scores of the night will win the prizes....so come on everyone who is going on Saturday, get rolling those dice....This BRILLIANT donation has got to be took home by someone! (me hopefully, I am definately having a go or two!)

If you would like to see more of Cathy's work then visit her website at http://www.cathy-thephotographer.co.uk/ or visit in person to her shop/studio.

Contact details are:
The Photographer
Wighay Bridge
Annesley Road
Hucknall
Nottingham
NG15 7DB

Tel: 01158 40 88 86
Fax: 01158 40 88 86

Email: cathy@cathy-thephotographer.co.uk

PS....Thanks Jane, see you Saturday!

Robinson plc donate quiz prizzes

2007-04-25T23:09:00.000+01:00

Thank you very much to Sandra and her boss Bob for arranging a very generous donation of £50 from Robinson plc. The money has bought 6 bottles of lovely wine and a £20 Boots voucher which will be used for the fund raising night quiz prizes. So come on everyone who is going on the night, have a go on the quizzes and give your self chance of winning these brilliant prizes. Thank you very much Robinson's for your generosity it is much appreciated.

Did you know?
That Robinson Plastic Packaging Limited is based in Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, UK and is part of Robinson plc, which also owns two Paperboard Packaging businesses in Chesterfield, Derbyshire and in North America .
It was founded in 1970 and acquired by Robinson in 1974, Robinson Plastic Packaging Limited is a dedicated manufacturer of injection moulded plastic packaging for the Food, Drinks and Confectionery markets, supplying a wide range of ‘Blue Chip' UK and European companies.

For more information why not visit the Robinson website at http://www.r1pp.co.uk/

Dolma donation....smells lovely!

2007-04-24T21:43:00.000+01:00

A really big thank you to April and Trev, the owners of Dolma, a local vegan cosmetic and perfume manufacturer and supplier. They have donated a wonderful wide selection of Vegan Perfumes, Toiletries and Skin Care in a very attractive presentation box. This is a great prize and well worth spending a £1 on a prize draw ticket to try and win.

DOLMA was established in 1982 by Jim Payne, a practicing vegan and qualified chemist, to provide perfumes which could be used with confidence by vegans and vegetarians. It has since become a family business run by his daughter, April.

The winner of this prize will be using products that contain essential oils used according to the principles of Aromatherapy. Essential oils are obtained from the flowers, roots, berries or leaves of plants.

To celebrate exceptional products manufactured without testing on animals, the BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) have launched the first-annual “Golden Bunny” awards – named after an animal commonly used for testing. Congratulations to Dolma as their perfumes won the award of the Best Cruelty Free Perfume.

If you would like to know more about Dolma products, contact April or Trev at:

TEL/FAX: 0115 963 4237

EMAIL: info@dolma-perfumes.co.uk

WEBSITE: http://www.dolma-perfumes.co.uk/

TYBRO...GMTV...EMA...Weekly update!

2007-04-24T21:03:00.000+01:00

What a great week. The netball raffle, House of Commons whisky and Tescos have already been mentioned in earlier posts but that is not all that has happened this week. On top of that, Tyler Brothers, a Kirkby engineering firm, kindly donated a bottle of whisky. Thank you to them for their generosity.Then there was the travel pack kindly donated by East Midlands Airport. This includes a travel bag, clock, passport holders, key ring and pen. Lovely prize, thank you East Midlands.

Another surprise was a great donation from GMTV. They have kindly donated a pack that includes 10 signed photos of the GMTV team, which includes Andrew Castle, Kate Galloway, Penny Smith etc. Also the pack includes a GMTV mug, alarm clock and egg cup. I might give GMTV a ring and see if they mind me auctioning this donation on eBay as I think it might make £20 - £30. I will let you know if I do and keep you informed on the bidding. Thank you GMTV.

After all the excitement of the donations coming in there was also the small business of training! My target for the week was 130 miles and I kept to this by managing to clock up 137 miles. The weekend target was a ride of 50 miles. Set off on Saturday afternoon not really knowing where to go, ended up cycling to Tuxford and back, completing 50 miles (actually 49.3 but don't tell anyone!).

This weeks target is 150 miles. Sunday I need to do a distance of 60 miles which will be tough as Saturday is the fund raising night! Other good news this week is that I have finally starting sleeping again....Zzzzzzzzzzz....good night!

Presentation Raffle Nets £86!

2007-04-23T21:51:00.000+01:00

Ashfield and District netball league held their presentation night on Friday. Jackie (league treasurer) went round and sold raffle tickets which raised a brill sum of £86. Well done to Jackie and all the netballers who kindly bought a ticket.

My House of Commons contact!

2007-04-20T18:15:00.000+01:00

I have had a word with my House of Commons contact, Geoff Hoon Member of Parliament for Ashfield and he has kindly donated a bottle of commons whiskey for me to auction off next Saturday on the fund raising evening.

A real big thank you for this and supporting your local community and I hope that it generates a really good price.

The bottle and the box has been signed by Mr Hoon so here is your chance to own something very special that can not be bought in the shops. Get your cheque books out and start bidding!

Tesco tenner!

2007-04-19T21:07:00.000+01:00

Another donation arrived today, a £10 gift voucher from TESCO'S HUCKNALL STORE. A big thank you to them for supporting a local charity.

Sainsbury's Mansfield store have also replied but they were unable to help. Unfortunately they receive many more requests each year than they can support but thank you for responding, many other businesses haven't! Quite ironic this letter, I opened it just after returning from doing our weekly shopping at Sainsbury's!!!

Weekly update....things are warming up!

2007-04-15T18:56:00.000+01:00

Yes, things have warmed up this week in more ways that one! The weather has been unusually hot for April, not complaining but I must be more sensible and put some cream on before I go out biking in the sun....ouch!

It has been a brilliant week for receiving raffle prizes and raising more cash for the cause. The £73 raised at the car boot was a real bonus and the amount of excellent prizes that have been donated has been fantastic. In fact, the prizes are that good I have decided to sell prize draw tickets for all of May and not just on the fund raising night. I am sure the tickets will sell well.

My training mileage target for this week was 110 miles and have actually covered 112 which I am pleased with. It has not been easy this week, I have finally come of my back problem medication but have suffered with a number of withdrawal symptoms. The worst thing being at night where I have been restless and not been sleeping, in fact I have not made 10 hours sleep total in the last 4 nights. On top of the blocked nose and stuffy head this has made my energy levels very low but hopefully this will all go away in the next few days. Positive point has been, to find something to do at 3 in the morning I have been updating the blog!

Car boot raises more cash!

2007-04-15T18:38:00.000+01:00

This Sunday we decided to make the most of the recent lovely weather and do a car boot. The loft was cleared and loaded into the car and off we went to Tansley in Derbyshire. Jackie and Jemma went in the car and I followed on the bike giving me a chance to put some training in as well.

What a great day it turned out to be, the weather brilliant, some training put in and we sold nearly everything we took and raised another £73 for the hospice....brilliant day, well pleased!

Our friends also did a car boot and they also made themselves £70....no wonder they are laughing....good for them!

Griffins Head Papplewick donate a brilliant prize

2007-04-15T04:05:00.000+01:00

A very big thank you to the GRIFFINS HEAD AT PAPPLEWICK . Now this is a prize really worth winning. They have kindly donated A MEAL VOUCHER TO THE SUM OF £50 PLUS A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE....how about that for prize! That has got to entice you into buying some tickets!

To thank the Griffin for their generosity, I met up with Mark the Griffin manager (lovely chap!) and whilst I was there, took the chance to have a quick bite to eat.

The Griffins Head has just re-opened after extensive refurbishment. The pub is comfortable, completely no smoking throughout and still maintains the country pub feel. I was very impressed (loved the non smoking atmosphere). Also the food is freshly prepared by the chefs, cooked to order using quality seasonal produce sourced from local suppliers. I tried the hot pork sandwich....delicious!

Thank you once again to The Griffins Head, in particular Mark, for their kindness and may i wish them the best of luck for the future.

If anyone would like to know more about The Griffins Head, visit their website at www.thegriffinshead.co.uk.

Royal Centre Nottingham donate....Thrilling!

2007-04-15T03:51:00.000+01:00

To all you theatre lovers out there, buy a ticket and get the chance of winning TWO TICKETS to see a forthcoming CLASSIC THRILLER at the THEATRE ROYAL NOTTINGHAM.

The Theatre have kindly donated these tickets which can be used to go and see either:

The Ghost Train - 13th to 18th August

Touch of Danger - 20th to 25th August

Gaslight - 27th August to 1st September

House Guest- 3rd to 8th September

Thank you very much to Royal Centre, I am sure the winner will have a great evening out.

To find out what else is on at the Royal Centre visit their website at http://www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.uk/

Twycross Zoo donate a prize

2007-04-15T03:40:00.000+01:00

Another result! Thank you to TWYCROSS ZOO who have kindly donated a FAMILY TICKET enabling the lucky winner to have a great fun day out at this super Zoo.

Did you know that like most British zoos, Twycross receives no government funds and relies entirely on money spent by visitors to continue its work. So good for you Twycross for sending us this great prize!

If you would like to find out more about Twycoss Zoo, visit their website at www.twycrosszoo.org

White Post Farm donation

2007-04-15T03:27:00.000+01:00

Thank you very much to the THE WHITE POST FARM who have kindly donated TWO FREE CHILD ADMISSION TICKETS towards our prize draw.

Jemma loves going here (and so do I), It's a great day out with loads to do....super prize!

If you want to know more about White Post Farm have a look at there website at www.whitepostfarmcentre.co.uk

Kirkby Carpets....the first to donate!

2007-04-09T17:38:00.000+01:00

A really big thank you to Steve, the owner of Kirkby Carpets. Steve's is the first business to respond to the request of prizes for the quiz and raffles for the fund raising night.

I posted a letter on Monday morning and by that evening, Steve had contacted me, kindly donating a couple of rugs....fantastic! On Saturday, Jemma and me went down to collect the goods and met Steve for the very first time. I would like to thank and praise him for his kindness, and the interest he showed in my fund raising event. Great guy! anyone who is thinking of having a new carpet, go and see Steve at Kirkby Carpets for a quote!

Steve presenting Jemma with the rugs!

Highest bid wins.....Good idea Nat!

2007-04-09T17:15:00.000+01:00

My friend Nathalie has come up with a great idea for raising more

sponsorship money. On the fund raising night she suggests we should hold a 'Promise Auction'.

A promise auction involves getting people to make a promise and then the highest bidder wins the promise. Nathalie has kindly promised on behalf of her husband (sorry Carl if you do not know about it yet!) for him to do half a days worth of plumbing/plastering, so if you require anything of this nature doing then please place your bids by sending me a pledge by email or giving a secret bid on the night of the fund raising evening.

I am looking for around another 6 - 12 promises, so if anyone is prepared to offer their services then please get in touch. To back Carl up I will also give a promise. I promise to be a taxi to the highest bidder. For example, if you fancy a night out and don't want to drive, or going on holiday and need a lift to and from the airport, then I will take you. If your venue is local (inside 15 mile radius), I will even pay for the petrol!

Thank you also to Nathalie for helping me in getting in touch with local businesses (and some not so local!) to try and get them to donate raffle and quiz prizes for the fund raising night. Look out for further posts on the response from these businesses.

94 tickets have now been requested for the fund raising evening so if you still want to go and have not yet been in touch, please hurry as there are not many left.

This is where the training really starts!

2007-04-09T16:30:00.000+01:00

Ten weeks now to go so the training has now got to step up a gear (just managed to hold on long enough with this pose to get photo took!).

I have given myself an eight week training schedule which I hope will get me fit enough for the event. Week one gave me a target of 100 miles but i actually covered 106. This figure rises and peaks at a max distance of 210 miles. More importantly I think, is doing long distances back to back, so as the weeks progress I will be trying to pull in consecutive days of at least 40 miles plus per day.

With not cycling for six weeks my fitness has really fell off. I covered 33 miles on Friday but from 24 miles my legs felt empty. Went out on Saturday just to get rid of the stiffness, covered 10 miles and it was hard. I am sure this is to be expected with having such a lay off but it is a bit dis-heartening!

Back on the bike....at last!

2007-03-29T20:54:00.000+01:00

Clocks have moved forward, spring is here, the sun has been shining and at last....I am back on the bike. It has took six weeks for my back to recover well enough for me to ride again. I have been to work everday this week on the bike and I am not feeling any after affects, so fingers crossed I can get back into a training programme.

Preperation for the fund raising night is going well. I have started writing to local businesses to see if I can get donations for the quizes and raffles. If....when I get some feedback, I will definately be singing their praises on the blog if they have donated, so look out for news of the genourous ones!

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO DONATE A PRIZE? PLEASE GET IN TOUCH IF YOU DO!

I have only got 40 tickets left for the night so if anyone wants to go, get in touch with sooner than later!

Prizes required for the fund raising night!

2007-03-12T20:42:00.000+01:00

Booked DJ Fearny to do the disco so everything is now in place, tickets are now on sale!

If there are any budding entertainers out there who would like to do their stuff then get in touch, might be able to fit you into the line up.

I will be running a raffle to try and boost the fund raising so if you have anything to donate as a prize it would be much appreciated. If you are a business and you would like some free advertising then just give me your details and I will make sure it gets posted on the blog.

If you can think of any other fund raising opportunities for the night, please let me know.

Can I thank our friends Sam and Gail who have kindly started the ball rolling by donating a couple of raffle prizes....much appreciated.

Fund Raising Night....Sat 28thApril 2007

2007-03-09T20:52:00.000+01:00

A good nights entertainment and help raise money for John Eastwood Hospice at the same time....does that sound a good idea? Well I am organising a event on Saturday 28th April which will include the live band 'The Score', disco, food and of course there is a bar!

It should be a great night, local band 'The Score' play instantly recognisable covers by groups such as The Jam, Green Day, The Bangles, The Clash, Elvis, Ramones, Buzzcocks and many more, so this should make for a loud and lively night!

The venue is the St Wilfreds church hall in Kirkby (across from the Duke of Wellington) 7pm until 11:30pm.

The venue and band are booked, just need to sort out a disco which I will hopefully do this weekend. So hopefully next week I will be able to work out the cost of the tickets and start selling.

The room holds 120 which I am sure we can fill....please get in touch if you are interested!

Body Shop Party....another £92

2007-02-24T12:27:00.000+01:00

Above is Diane and Deb who ran a Body Shop party organised and hosted by Jackie at our home on Friday evening. Rather than take commission, Jackie made this a fund raising event which meant 15% of sales would go to our charity.

The evening was a great success, 25 of Jackie's friends and family turned up and by all accounts had an enjoyable time and spent lots of money! This meant that a brill sum of £92 was raised for the John Eastwood Hospice.

The grand fund raising total has now nearly reached the revised target of £1500 so I think this will have to be raised yet again! Can we reach £2000....it's worth a go!

Alfreton Cycling Club....Thank you!

2007-02-15T16:45:00.000+01:00

I have a really heart warming story to tell and hopefully you will inform others of the kindness shown by a group of people that I only met for the first time last night. What do you think about this for kindness and generosity!

A member of the Alfreton Cycling Club was visiting Jackie's work place and noticed my charity event poster. On the strength of that alone, a raffle was held at the clubs Annual Dinner and they raised a fantastic £100 to go towards my event sponsorship. How good is that?

Yesterday evening, Jackie, Jemma and myself were invited to a club meeting. We travelled over to the Cliff Inn at Crich and the £100 cheque was presented.

Can I say a really big thank you to Tom and all the club members for their generosity and kindness. I would like to request everyone who reads this posting, to pass on this story to others and sing the deserved praises of ALFRETON CYCLING CLUB!

Minor set back....what a pain!

2007-02-14T07:21:00.000+01:00

What can I say other than OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! Got a trapped nerve in my back and it is sending pain right down the back of my leg. Had it for a few weeks now but in the last week it has got unbearable. The doc has given me some pain killers so lets see what happens! Strangely (but good news!) it only hurts (really hurts!) when I am standing. When I sit down the majority of the pain goes and this is the same for when I am on the bike. Luckily I sit at a desk all day at work so that is no problem and I am also managing to bike to work. This is fine until I have to stop and put my legs down then the pain really kicks in!

Other than the work trip I am not doing any other cycling, in fact I am not doing anything else full stop! Too painful to even walk more than than 20 yards. This means the training will have to be put on hold until things improve. Not long hopefully!

Flat tyre.....not again!

2007-02-06T21:41:00.000+01:00

Can't believe it, another flat tyre! Set off from work on Friday with an hours worth of day light left so I decided to go the long way home....Mmmmmmm....bad choice! Half way home, coming down a steep hill, suddenly the back end went. Luckily managed to break and stop on the bike but only just! WHAT ABOUT MY NEW INVESTMENT IN SLIME FILLED INNER TUBES I ASKED MYSELF....USELESS!!

Still some day light so I whipped off the flat and got out my spare tube....Arghh!....even the un-opened, slime filled, new tube had sprung a leak, gunge everywhere....how did that happen?....what a waste of time.

Next thing was to try the puncture repair kit....no good....could not dry off the slime enough to make the patch stick. it was now dark and I am on a lane with no street lights, in fact the nearest house was a mile away, so only one thing for it....ring Jackie to fetch me....HELP!

Everything sorted on Saturday, bought a new tyre that is supposed to be puncture resistant....well that was what the salesman told me! Also bought my first set of replacement break pads....worn the other ones down breaking on the hill when my tyre burst!

To try out the new tyre and breaks, I biked to Forest Pines and back. 25 miles and averaged just under 14 mph. New milestone reached, now clocked up a total of 1500 miles on the bike.

Picture Auction

2007-02-01T21:26:00.000+01:00

Do you like this picture? One of my fellow cyclists on the charity event has put this painting up for auction to raise money for his chosen charity. It is an original water colour painted by a local Forest of Dean artist, Peter Day. Basically it’s for sale by silent auction. If you are interested, just email Marcus at marcuscaro@hotmail.com and the person who submits the highest offer by 28th Feb has the picture. He will take care of postage and packing. If you fancy it....get bidding!!!

Cold spell....and snow!

2007-01-25T21:08:00.000+01:00

From the long mild spell we have had lately, it has been a bit of a shock this week to have minus temperatures, snow and ice. It has been a bit tricky cycling to work but not given in to the conditions....yet! One good thing, the heated gloves are working well....getting to work and still able to feel my hands....result!!

Bakewell and back!

2007-01-22T21:46:00.000+01:00

Had the chance to get some miles in again this weekend so Saturday morning on with the helmet and off to....Mmmmm.... don't know yet! Another windy day but not dangerously strong like it has been. Need to get back for three so off I go. Sutton...Stanton Hill...Teversal...might as well go to Chesterfield!

Lets have a look...yes, up the A619 to Baslow....wish I had not picked this route! up hill for miles into a strong head wind. Average speed 5 mph until I started going down hill then reached a max of 9 mph and that was with pedalling hard!! Now I have gone this far I might as well go to Bakewell for lunch.

Quick sandwich and off again. All the way so far has been into the wind so it has got to be easier going home....brill....wind behind...yiphee! Next stop Matlock and then Matlock Bath.

Clocking up the miles now at a good pace so keep on the A6 and come off at Ambergate. Now through Pentrich....Somercoates....Jacksdale....Selston....nearly home....don't think I am going to make it!! legs are really aching now....just a few more miles....Nuncergate and finally at last Kirkby....PHEW! that was hard!

60 miles, average of just under 12 mph and on the saddle for 5 hours ten minutes. Not bad for the conditions.

Sunday - should I do it all again today....no chance....Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

WINDY!!!!

2007-01-19T13:47:00.000+01:00

There was plenty of these on the way home yesterday! What a windy day. Head winds, cross winds.... not a good day for cycling. The news reported this as the stongest storm for 17 years, hopefully that is it for another 17 years!

Intend to get a few more miles under the belt this weekend, so fingers crossed that the weather calms down.

Doctor no!

2007-01-10T22:01:00.000+01:00

Today was the first time during this fund raising event that I have encountered anything un-charitable. I must get it off my chest and then move on.

For insurance purposes the event organisors request that all participants fill out a medical form and then get it signed by their doctor....no form....no place on the event.

No problem! I filled out the form and took it down to the local GP's for a signature....CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!....HE CHARGED ME £10!

YES £10 FOR A SIGNATURE FOR SOMEONE WHO IS TRYING TO RAISE AS MUCH MONEY AS POSSIBLE FOR CHARITY!

At least I can get comfort from the fact that for every one person like my doctor there are 1000 who are not!!

When I think about the effort, time and genorosity people have given me so far...it makes you spit feathers!

That's it, moan over, back to positive thinking!

Flowers for top Mother-in-law!

2007-01-08T21:46:00.000+01:00

Sponsorship has been that good this weekend that I have upped my target amount from £1100 to £1500. I am sure this can be reached!

Thank you very very much to all the new donators! ..and...three cheers for the mother-in-law! This weekend she has managed to collect £20 from the Trinity Methodist coffee morning. £40 from Church friends (with another £40 to be collected) and £42 from the 50+ group. How good is that! Thanks Jean and again, thank you to all those kind people who have sponsored me.

Fitness Level mmmm... not bad!

2007-01-08T21:26:00.000+01:00

Saturday 6th January - Wife working, daughter at messy play with mother-in-law. Only one thing for it, seize the opportunity and go for a long ride to test out the fitness level so far!

Target mileage 60 miles.....
Time in saddle target 5 hours......

Off I go!

Through Ravenshead then Calverton, pass Lowdham, over Gunthorpe Bridge, onto the A46 and upto Newark. Bum a bit numb, have a break at Newark..... Right off we go again!..... Ollerton, past Sherwood Forest, absolutely teaming it down with rain, turn round, back to cafe at Sherwood Forest for a coffee..... Right! off again, through Mansfield Woodhouse, onto Mansfield, towards Sutton.....Need a few more miles for target....back to Mansfield....back to Sutton and finally.....aahhh BACK HOME!!

61.5 miles 4 hours 55 minutes. Target met and felt I could have done more. Really fit, feel great, bring on the challenge...Sunday morning...OUCH!!! OOOh!!! Way to cocky! MORE TRAINING REQUIRED, MUCH MORE TRAINING REQUIRED!!!

Happy New Year!

2007-01-02T21:32:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had a good Christmas.

Good old Santa turned up with the much anticipated heated gloves, can't wait for a really cold morning to try them out.

2007 has started well. The sponsorship has now reached a sum of £944.45 fantastic!

Did not get too much chance to train over the Christmas break but did manage a 40 mile ride one day. On top of all the sausage rolls and mince pies I was quite pleased with that!

Now the new year has arrived I intend to write out my training plan. This will be a five month schedule but the first two months may be affected by wintery weather. We will see!

The Winners!

2006-12-22T19:43:00.000+01:00

Raffle winners....Well done Mr & Mrs Nicholls....have a good Christmas.

Another big thank you to everyone who bought a ticket.

£206 Brilliant!

2006-12-21T20:14:00.000+01:00

The Christmas raffle has now been drawn, congratulations to the winners. The Sutton branch of the Derbyshire Building Society sold £120 worth of tickets and the Alfreton branch sold £86, a brilliant overall total of £206!!!

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO BOUGHT A TICKET AND TO ALL THE DERBYSHIRE STAFF WHO HELPED OUT.

There has also been a lot of generous donations made on the JustGiving website and in person to us. Sponsorship has now reached £673, which is fantastic.

Cold and Foggy but spirits are high!

2006-12-20T22:03:00.000+01:00

The winter is here! Biking is tough this week, it is really cold, plus freezing fog has set in, minus 3 this morning....not nice! My hands were numb by the time I got to work, then the hot aches set in...ouch!!! Only one thing for it...straight on to the internet and ordered some heated gloves...can't wait for them to arrive!

Not all bad this week though! The raffle is to be drawn this week and a substantial amount of money has been raised. This has not been fully counted yet so when I get the final figure I will post the result. Donations have also flooded in on the JustGiving website. Again I will give a full summary very shortly.

Other news this week is since I started biking in June I have now reached a total 1000 miles.

Good week for donations!

2006-12-08T22:37:00.000+01:00

Thank you to everyone who has kindly donated this week. Donations to the JustGiving site has raised £110 and the raffle has raised £70 so far. Fingers crossed that peoples generosity carries on!

Not a brilliant week on the bike, TWO flat tyres! Bought myself gel filled innertubes so hopefully they will improve things.

Roll on the lighter nights so I can get some decent mileage in, and see what I am doing when the tyres go down!!

Thanks again everyone for your support

Raffle Prize!

2006-12-03T22:37:00.000+01:00

Christmas Raffle Prize

Starting tomorrow (4/12/06) these hampers will be raffled off at two branches of the Derbyshire Building Society. Tickets will be on sale (£1 a strip) at the Alfreton branch and Sutton in Ashfield branch, so why not go along and try and win yourself a great christmas treat and at the same time help the John Eastwood Hospice. The prize draw will take place on 18th December 2006 so don't leave it too long!

Hopefully we will collect a good amount of money for our charity, I will let know how it goes!

JustGiving webpage now set up!

2006-11-30T22:35:00.000+01:00

At last! Finally the JustGiving webpage is up and running.

Justgiving is the leading charity fundraising website, it enables ordinary people to raise extraordinary amounts of money for the causes they care about.

Since the launch in 2001, the members charities have collected over £100 million in online donations through their website.

If you would like to donate to my charity fund raising event online please visit: www.justgiving.com/brianhancock

A big thank you to everyone who does.

Winter Cycling!

2006-11-22T22:23:00.000+01:00

I have not had much to report for a while so the blog has been quiet. The dark early nights and cold days have arrived so the cycling training has been restricted. I am now commuting to work everyday on the bike so this will help my fitness level. It is not far (5.5 miles each way) but the trip home is mainly all up hill and quite hard, especially when the wind is blowing!

There have been a few developments on the fund raising side of things which I can tell you about.

Up to date £120 has been donated, which is great to say that I have not yet fully started with fund raising ideas.

The mother in law has kindly ran two coffee mornings at the local church which has raised £30.

I went on a golf trip and fellow golfers chipped in with another £90

Jackie (the wife) has had permission from her employers, the Derbyshire Building Society, to do a raffle at work. Over the last month we have been buying extras when we go shopping and have built up two hampers. One hamper is to be raffled at the Derbyshire's Alfreton branch and one at the Sutton in Ashfield branch. Hopefully the hampers will be on display and tickets being sold at the beginning of December. Fingers crossed that they raise a good amount of funds.

Another bit of news is that The John Eastwood Hospice has put me on the front of their newsletter. This publicity may generate more money. I will keep you updated on how this goes.

I am still in the process of trying to set up on the JustGiving website. I have been informed that this is immanent. JustGiving is a website that fund raises like me, can set up a page with information about the charity event and then people can log on and read about it and then at the same time have the opportunity to donate money online! I have donated myself to other charity events and it was really easy to use. When it is up and running I will post it on the blog.

Promotional Photo

2006-10-09T22:30:00.000+01:00

Biked to the John Eastwood Hospice where I had this photo took to promote my charity bike ride. The photo was taken in the hospices beautiful and tranquil garden. A lovely spot for patients and their loved ones to sit and relax.

More about John Eastwood Hospice Trust

2006-10-04T20:14:00.000+01:00

John Eastwood Hospice Trust

The mission of the John Eastwood Hospice Trust is to support its NHS partners in the organisation and delivery of specialist palliative care services for those with advanced cancer and some neurological conditions, including Motor Neurone Disease.

The Hospice Trust is a registered charity and relies entirely on fundraising and donations to meet its considerable commitments, and to maintain appropriate reserves in order to ensure that the ongoing support provided is safeguarded for a reasonable period.

John Eastwood Hospice
The hospice has in-patient and day care facilities.

The in-patient unit can accommodate a total of 12 patients. Patients may be admitted for a short stay for symptom and pain management, respite care (limited) and final phase care, when a person is close to dying.

Day care facilities are available at the hospice on four week days, with a daily maximum of 15 patients. Day care adds to care given in the community by professionals, such as GP's and District Nurses, and carers such as relatives and friends.

Attending day care enables people to benefit from all hospice services, including complementary therapies and hairdressing, and can give carers a well-earned break.

The Hospice Trust currently funds the Hospice at Home service, which aims to enable people to stay at home for the final days of their life if that is their wish. The service supports existing community services, including GPs and district nurses, to provide specialist palliative care in the home.

London to Paris charity bike ride

2006-10-04T12:58:00.000+01:00

London to Paris 13 - 17 June 2007
Charity cycle ride to raise funds for the John Eastwood Hospice

Has anyone got ideas on how I can raise money for this much worthy cause? I hope to raise a minimum of £1100 but hopefully more.

Do you want to donate? Any amount would be appreciated!