Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am raising funds to cover my expenses associated with attending the World Transplant Games in Perth, Australia in April 2023. Any surplus funds will go towards the Transplant Sport UK Management Team (including physios and coaches) who give up their time to support the team.

Around twenty years ago, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD). After a programme of careful management of the reduction in my kidney function during which I continued to cycle, in January 2014 I started dialysis and then in March 2015 I had a kidney transplant.

I started riding my bicycle (something I've done since I was 15) again soon after as a way of regaining my fitness. Later I decided to take part in the British Transplant Games in 2016 and was surprised to win a gold and a silver in my age group. As a result I was selected to ride for Great Britain at the World Transplant Games in Malaga in 2017, where I finished fourth in both the time trial and road race. Later that year, in the British Transplant Games, I won gold in the time trial and road race in my age group and also won the road race overall.

After not riding much in 2018, I  managed to win gold in both events in my age group at the British Transplant Games again and was selected to ride in the 2019 World Transplant Games, which were taking place in Newcastle. Unfortunately, I had to withdraw due to needing an operation.

I didn't ride much during the COVID pandemic and only started up again in 2022, managing to win silver in the time trial and gold in the road race in my age group at the British Transplant Games and then two bronze medals in the European Transplant & Dialysis Games, the first medals I'd won in international competition. Because of these results, I'm honoured to have been selected to compete for Great Britain & Northern Ireland at the World Transplant Games in Perth in April 2023.

It's quite an expensive undertaking getting there and Transplant Sport doesn't receive any central funding from Sport England, so we have to self-fund our participation in the event, which is why I'm raising money.

As well as being a very rewarding and enriching experience personally, I'm also competing in transplant sport as a way of demonstrating that you can live a full and active life after a transplant and to raise awareness of the benefits of organ donation. If you are not already on the organ donation register, I would urge you to consider doing so: one person can save something like nine individuals' lives by donating their organs when they die. You can do this by calling 0300 123 23 23 or by logging onto www.organdonation.nhs.uk.

Please note that while there is normally a 5% (+VAT) charge and charges for credit and debit card donations on JustGiving, this is waived as Transplant Sport is a registered charity.