Hi Friends,

On Sunday October the 5th, I will take part in a 45 mile cycle from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle in memory of my Uncle Norman Hegarty who died last year of a sudden heart attack. It was quite a shock given Norman was one of the fittest people I know. Having lived with him in San Fran for a year in my early 20s, his passion for life; his ability to appreciate the simple things;to stay in the moment and to laugh at every opportunity - is something I hope I will be able to continue to foster throughout my own life.

When I read all the obituary tributes, the one that rang home the most was "Always entertaining and interesting, never boring or predictable, the wee man was a large character with an even larger heart. He was constantly in motion, artciulate, tough and loyal. Whether the withering fierce stare or the red-faced, squinting howl of laughter, his eyes were penetrating and dancing. The craic will never quite be 90 again and I can't believe he is away. The vivid memories and epic tales though - will be lasting. He was a great China plate and I was lucky to know him' - Danny Novak, San Fran. CA.

I will compete the cycle with work colleagues from the Financial Services practice at Accenture, London. The monies raised will go towards the selected charity, The Prince's Trust - a non-profit organisation that aligns to Accenture's Global Corporate Citizenship (CSR) agenda "Skills to Succeed" - addressing the skills gap to open doors to employment and economic opportunity.

As most of you know, I undertook the Accenture Corporate Citizenship Lead role in Ireland in 2012 on a secondment basis. It was fascinating during that time, to see the real difference our people are making around the world to those less fortunate than ourselves - In 2013, colleagues participated in nearly 518,000 hours of Accenture-sponsored corporate citizenship programs; sharing their time, skills and counsel to up-skill disadvantaged children and adults so that they can position themselves to enter/re-enter the workpace.

Any contributions, however small would be greatly appreciated. Think of the cost of a Starbucks!

Many thanks, Dearbhla xx