Thanks for visiting my fundraising page. My mission was to cycle from Edinburgh to Norwich in July 2009, to raise money for the Alzheimer's Research Trust. AND I DID IT!! I cycled 477 miles in total, in 10 days, including one rest day!

Why Alzheimer’s Research?
A few years ago, my Mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease and although I knew something wasn't right, this news was absolutely heartbreaking.

However, given the joyful nature of my Mum, the strength of my Dad and the supportiveness of their friends and our whole family, I decided that rather than feel sad, I should be pro-active.

As dementia is going to affect more and more of us in the coming years (everyone's at risk; 700,000 people already have it in the UK and this number is expected to double within a generation) I’d like to support the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, who fund world-class UK research on a large scale to find a way of preventing or effectively treating Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. And I’d really like you to help me and my friends raise as much as we possibly can for them - every donation is appreciated, however big or small. *

Why Edinburgh to Norwich?
Cycling's my thing... I thought about joining a charity cycle somewhere exotic, but it didn't seem to be appropriate somehow. So I decided to create my own journey in the UK.

The most obvious journey for me was to trace my parents’ migratory route, from Edinburgh to Norwich, via Harrogate and Leeds. It also happens to be the journey from my current home to theirs.

The whole thing was quite a challenge as, for a start, there's no off-the-shelf Edinburgh to Norwich cycle route! Thanks to Google, bikely.com, Sustrans, routeyou.com and the wonderful mapmyride.com, I put together quite a nice ride on back roads and cycle ways through Britain.

The training for this initially meant getting up at a stupid hour to go to the gym before work (I'm not a morning person!) before I realised I may have been overdoing it! Then it consisted of cycling whenever I could and particularly long bike rides at the weekends. This wasn't just one bike-ride, it was a 6-month commitment!

I also didn't do this alone... Anne cycled the first half with me (no mean feat at over 200 miles), Kate cycled the second half... and Jane provided moral support, food and accomodation in the middle! 

Now, hopefully you've got this far down the page, and you're thinking that you desperately want to contribute to this whole venture and donate some money to this really worthy cause!

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us : Alzheimer's Research Trust gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor us now!

*I have requested for all the money we raise to go towards non-animal research.