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Wednesday 27 April 2016

New kit for the ride..

Thanks to a very kind sponsor (me) and possibly more ???

If any company donates to the charity £75 or more they can have their logo on the shirt forever alongside my eternal thanks !!  Print run is in 2 weeks time. Please let me know if anyone is interested. Remember all your money goes to Hope House Children's Hospices, Help For Heroes & the KenyanSchools Project. 



Tuesday 26 April 2016

Thank you very much

Just want to say a massive thank you to Mr & Mrs Hurdsman of St Martins for their generosity. Even at times when you have every right to worry about your own health issues and problems some people only think of other people.  Thank you so much.


Energy bars maybe ?!?!


Some lovely people just came back from a little holiday and brought us something tasty !!!

Top Tip *5

A great book I read last year gave me the top tip of sending yourself a little parcel with essential stuff like food and chamois cream sachets that I would use each day so hey presto I am on it....



I am also going to send myself a nice extra large fleece and a few treats to help me on the 12 hour train journey home from J-o-Groats.

This great book was my source...

http://www.landsend-to-johnogroats.co.uk/purchase-a-book/Cycling-the-Google-Route


Thursday 21 April 2016

Watching the weather

All the routes, stops and trains are planned and booked along the way but the last thing that I am doing now apart from training hard is keeping an eye on the weather with everything crossed for a nice rain free 8 days around 17-18 degrees with a lovely northerly wind to speed me up the country ;)  

Thursday 14 April 2016

Use your vote !!!

I really wish I could say that I timed my trip to coincide with the Euro in/out vote but it was more luck as they have timed it perfectly.  I arrive back in Ellesmere at the end of day 3 the night before the vote on the EU so I can be one of the very first to cast a vote early on Thursday morning and then set off for Lancaster on Day 4 !!

No idea what I will vote for though,  at least I will have some thinking time the 3 days before it ????


Monday 11 April 2016

10


10 Weeks to go !!!!!   20th June (Day 1) is 10 weeks today  !!!!!


But I have a plan.....


by that I mean a Training Plan.



With a little help from other people who have done it...


My Plan.

To slowly ramp up the cycling I am doing up to the day I go.

So I intend to plan for 200 miles per week from now on as a minimum moving to 400 a week on the 2 weeks prior to the start.

Friday 8 April 2016

Train home booked !!

Train journey home all booked for both me and my bike.  We are all sorted. !!!!    Just 10 weeks to wait now.


Friday 1 April 2016

Just a reminder of why I am doing this.

It is nearly 20 years since my dad died and I am doing this ride for him.

I am riding from Lands End to John O Groats, about 900 miles unaided & solo over 8 days.

Monday 20th of June is the start date.

I will be raising money for these 3 charities.

Hope House Children's Hospice http://www.hopehouse.org.uk/home.html

Awe inspiring work by these care professionals.

This is from their website to let you know more of the wonderful work they do.
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Hope House Children's Hospices - Hope House at Oswestry and Tŷ Gobaith at Conwy - provide care and support to life-limited children, young people and their families from Shropshire, Cheshire, North and Mid Wales.

A range of services is offered, including respite and end-of-life care at the hospices and/or within the family home, and support such as counselling, advocacy and the promotion of children, young people's and carers' rights.

Children, young people and family members are welcomed into a friendly, homely environment, with the child or young person at the centre. The support offered includes physical, psychological and spiritual care from a team including experienced doctors, nurses and other care professionals. Support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The service offered is informal, but always professional. Staff at Hope House Children's Hospices respect the cultural and spiritual beliefs and backgrounds of all ethnic groups and take steps to ensure care is accessible and acceptable to all service users, staff and the wider community. We are fully committed to the reality of diversity and wish to support all who need us, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, class or age.

Bereavement support is offered to all children, young people, family members and others involved with the family. This is according to the family's wishes and continues for as long as needed. Bereavement support and counselling is also offered to families in the wider community who have lost a child through any illness or trauma. This support can also be given to children and young people who have experienced a death of someone close in traumatic circumstances.
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Help For Heroes http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/

We are so proud of and love our armed forces, this charity is a support for the heroes who need that bit more than others with what they have had to cope with.

This is from their website to let you know more of the wonderful work they do.
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Our mission is to deliver an enduring national network of support for our wounded and their families. We will inspire and enable those who have made sacrifices on our behalf to achieve their full potential.

In the 12 months leading up to March 2015 we have helped over 4,000 Veterans and military personnel - and their families - through our network of Recovery Centres.

The war in Afghanistan may be over, but for those who have suffered life-changing injuries, their battles are just beginning.

We've estimated that, of the 220,560 individuals deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2014, up to 75,000 servicemen and women (and their families) may need our support in the future. We will not let them fight these battles alone.
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Kenyan Schools Project http://www.kenyanschoolsproject.co.uk/

A local husband and wife team who do inspirational work for young people in Africa. They raise money and get sponsorships for schools and orphanages in Kenya. They help build, equip and restock the educational needs of children whose only wish in life is to get an education.

This is from their website to let you know more of the wonderful work they do.
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We are a husband and wife team (Bill & Lynn Morris) who travel to Kenya twice a year to help young children and babies in schools and orphanages in Kenya. Since 2004 we have raised over £80,000, donated everything from desks and scholastic equipment to electricity and new classrooms! For more information about what we have done, check out the history page or to see how to donate, watch the video.
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Donate here: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/RichardOwen

I will keep posting on this blog of stories of the training and preparation leading up to the day.

Thank you so much

Wish me luck !!!

Rich xx

Thank you Bob & Barbara

Thank you so much to Bob & Barbara McBride for their very kind donation to my 3 charities.