How should we recognise the 100th anniversary of the start of the first world war. We must remember and reflect on the horrors of the conflict, the millions of lives lost, and the disruption and changes to family and social life. However, the other historical strand is the question of how and why it happened. And that at least in part was a disastrous failure of peace making and diplomacy. The comparison may be limited but Peace Direct is in the business of encouraging local solutions to potential conflict. Supporting them is our - and we hope your - way of doing something positive now while reflecting on 100 years ago. Cycling the 300miles from Ypres to Verdun as a challenge for Peace Direct allows us to do both.

Duncan MacIntyre, Duncan Finlayson, Ed Finlayson, Liz Bibby