Thank you for visiting my charity page.  Dad (Richard) and I finished our cycle trip, Sunday 29 July, arriving at John O'Groats in the sunshine.  We had cycled the length of Britain, 1088 miles, including total ascents of almost 20,000m.  And we did this self supported.  Everything we need for two weeks was carried in our panniers - there was no support team, we fixed our own punctures, made our own breakfast and relied on our GPS units to guide us to our evening destinations; and you might ask why we did this, particularly with the weather we have had this summer. 

It was fun - we saw many parts of Britain that we would not otherwise see and it made us fit. We achieved a goal we have looked forward to for many years and we can be proud of that.

And.......

we are collecting money for a great charity. 

My brother, James, has Aspergers a form of Autism.  Resources for Autism has made a huge difference to his life, giving him emotional and practical support.  He goes to a R4A youth club which he looks forward to each week.

Autism is a life-long condition that affects the way a person perceives and relates to the world. There is no cure for autism but there are many things that can make those with a diagnosis have a better and happier life.  Asperger’s Syndrome is also known as ‘High Functioning Autism’. Everyone with autism is different and autism affects people to widely varying degrees and in many different ways. The degree to which people with an Autistic Spectrum Condition are affected varies but all have difficulty with: Social interaction (difficulty relating to other people) Social communication (difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication) Imagination (difficulty in the development of play and flexible thinking). People with autism may have difficulty understanding that other people do not feel the same way they do or appreciate the same things they appreciate and may appear to lack empathy with others. It may take someone with autism longer to process information especially if it is given verbally. Allowing time to work out what has been said and giving just one instruction or piece of information at a time can be very important. They all have difficulty making sense of the world.  Very many people with autism also have sensory problems. These may be being particularly sensitive to certain kinds of light, sound, smell, taste or touch. They may also need to experience sensory input in ways that other people may find unusual such as liking very strong pressure or hating high musical notes. All of these can make the world a very difficult place but with understanding, patience and sometimes with proper resources and advice things can be made easier.

James has had to learn many life skills that come naturally to those not on the Autistic Spectrum and Resources for Autism has made a big help in achieving this.  This is my opportunity to do something for myself and to help people like James.

 Thank you for reading my page.