Dear family & friends

Thanks for visiting our fundraising page. You have made the first step towards saving and improving lives by helping to raise money for St. Marks Hospital foundation (Registered Charity No. 1088119). 

Charlie and I have decided to set ourselves this challenge to help raise funds and awareness for the important work that St. Marks Hospital undertakes. I was a patient at St. Marks in November 2007 and again in March 2008. After suffering with Crohn's disease for a number of years, my condition got worse and I was referred to St. Marks for several examiniations and two major operations. I have managed to enter a sustained period of remission which has inspired me to do something to show my gratitude to the wonderful staff at St. Marks and the work that they do. 

Our Coast to Coast (C2C) Challenge is to, within a week cycle from Ilfracombe on the North Devon Coast to Plymouth on the South Devon Coast and then cycle from Tynemouth on the North East Coast to Whitehaven on the North West Coast. In total we will have cycled over 250 miles. I have chosen these two rides which track the four points of the compass to symbolise the important work of St Marks Hospital both nationally and internationally.

Approximately one in 1,500 people have Crohn's disease, and the condition affects slightly more women than men.

In the UK alone, someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer every 15 minutes, every 30 minutes someone dies.

It's stats like these that really starts to make you think.  For women we're all familiar with breast cancer and for men prostate cancer is the most common, but for both genders, bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer.

But it's not all bad news.  St. Mark’s are dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from bowel cancer and other bowel diseases, such as Crohn's.  Our charity raises funds for pioneering research and education programmes and with the right research we believe that all categories of bowel illnesses could be eliminated in the future.  The hospital is a national and international referral centre and is often a patients last port of call. Surgery, treatment and care at St. Marks has literally changed my life and many other lifes around.  For more details about St Marks, you can visit www.stmarksfoundation.org

 Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: St Mark's Hospital Foundation gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor us today and help us make a difference.

Rob and Charlie