(Links, videos, and blog posts can be found below, please read!)
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I’ve taken the plunge and signed up to a charity bike ride where I’ll ride over 200 miles in 3 days from London to Paris. I’m cycling as part of Bournemouth Uni's RAG (Raising and Giving) on behalf of Hope for Children, and plan (with your help) to raise £750 before the cycle. It’s a huge amount to raise so anything and everything you can give me in donations and support I’ll be extremely grateful for.
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The ride will begin at Crystal Palace Park, London, and will take me 69 miles to get to Newhaven in time to catch the ferry across to France, where we’ll collapse in tired heaps at Dieppe for the night.
The second day sees another 54 miles covered and will take us to Gourney en Bray, before finally reaching the Eiffel Tower in Paris after another 79 miles of riding.
No doubt the cycle will be gruelling, with an extremely numb bum and ridiculous tan/sunburn lines being obvious downsides, but after three hard days I’ll be ecstatic knowing I’ve made it all the way – something I can’t do without your support!
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I’ll be cycling on behalf of Hope for Children, a charity set up or the aid for under-privileged children. Their goal is simple – to improve the quality of life and rights of children, encouraging change for good on behalf of children and families through long term sustainable development  and providing practical, grass-roots support allowing children a healthier future within their community.
The charity was founded in 1994 and helps disabled, orphaned, poor and exploited children in both developing countries and here in the UK. They are a non-profit making organisation, so every penny raised – with support from The Big Lottery Fund, Comic Relief and Walk 2 School projects - will go directly to those who need it most in 30 different countries including Ghana, Sri Lanka, Uganda and India.
As little as £10 can feed a child for a month, they can be clothed for £30, provided prosthesis for a child land mine amputee for £80, with £90 providing a month’s salary for a teacher – so anything you can give will be of huge help!
As you read this I’ll be training for the challenge, and hopefully while I’m en-route to France it will be in the satisfaction that with your support I have reached my £750 goal – so please help me reach my target and donate whatever you can.
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UPDATES: I will be giving occasional updates on my progress through my blog (http://boundlessology.blogspot.com<http://boundlessology.blogspot.com/>), my Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/jamieollie124) or my Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/james.hartnett2), so you can keep tabs on how I’m getting on!
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Thanks for stopping by, and please help spread the word to help me reach my goal!
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Blog #1 – March 2011 - http://boundlessology.blogspot.com/2011/03/to-paris-and-beyond-journey-begins-here.html
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A little of what to expect during the ride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYzWAwLas0w