Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page, let me tell you a bit about what I am doing, and more importantly, why I am doing it! 

On September 29th 2011 I shall be heading off from Dubrovnik, Croatia cycling almost 470 miles through Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia and finally arriving in Thessaloniki, Greece on October 5th 2011.  That's an average of 80 miles per day, in 22 degree heat, and rough terrain.  It's going to be hard.  But it's going to be worth it if you can help out.  

Several years ago my dad was diagnosed with a virulent form of prostate cancer, which over time grew to be more and more aggressive to the point at which, on March 19th 2009, at the age of 64, it finally took his life.   There's no doubt in my mind that my dad's sheer determination and spirit helped him fight and live many more years than doctors could ever have predicted, but a lot of this determination would have been wasted without the help of the team at Yes To Life , their support, advice and knowledge has been invaluable and constantly gave my dad hope - as well as providing him with access to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and gave him practical advice on diet and lifestyle to help him combat his disease, introducing him to new foods and helping fund his treatments. 

 

My dad was too young, but without Yes To Life I firmly believe he would have been taken from us far younger, and I am thankful for all the extra years that the charity, and my dad's strength, gave us together.  

 

Those of you who know me will remember that back in 2008 I joined the Yes To Life team on the London to Paris bike ride.  Through donations on justgiving I raised almost £8000 to go towards getting my dad out to Germany for a pioneering cancer treatment, which was to be funded by the money I had raised for Yes To Life.  Sadly shortly after the ride was completed, my dad's condition deteriorated rapidly.  However, the money was not raised in vain, and went directly to Yes To Life towards helping others in a similar position overcome this terrible illness.

 

I know my dad was really proud of me for doing the ride - he was there to see me off from Greenwich on the first day of the ride, and he was the first person I called when I finally arrived with the team underneath the Eiffel Tower - I know it gave him hope and happiness that so many people were willing to donate and made the ride such a great success. 

 

And so, three years later I will be donning my lycras, toughening my bum cheeks and stretching my legs, for another bike ride - this time even longer and even tougher than before.

 

Let's face it - a bike ride like this is still nothing compared to how hard life is with cancer, and if we can all do something to ease the stress that people with cancer and their families have to deal with every day, then let's do it!  I know first hand how hard it is - and by doing this ride I, and all the people who donate, can help Yes To Life turn people's lives around and live cancer free.  

 

Yes To Life are an incredible charity that bring hope to so many people, but do not get the exposure of the larger cancer charity's due to their size, and this is why we all need to help them continue their work for people like my dad.

 

I'm doing this for them, and I am doing it for the memory of my dad and all that he taught me about living life to the full.  And I will probably get some incredibly tough thighs out of it as well.... 

 

The minimum amount that I need to raise is £1,500 before I am allowed to join the ride - but I reckon we can smash it with at least double that, so please help out, no matter what the amount it all adds up!  

 

As my dad would say "Go get 'em Bel"

 

And remember...

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.