This July I’ve decided to cycle from London to Paris. Apparently I’ve not heard of the Eurostar. I know this might sound like a bit of jolly, and you're probably picturing baguettes in the basket of my bicycle, but I'm more realistically going to be packing blister cream and padded shorts. This is no small feat - the first day alone will be 95 miles of saddle-suffering undulations. I will be riding with a number of other people who also haven’t heard of the Eurostar, (although I suspect many of them actually do this long-distance cycling lark a lot). After four long days on the bike we’ll all roll into Paris, where I will be looking forward to the first guilt-free croissant of my life. 

What’s this all for? I’m not going to lie, there is a heavy element of the personal challenge for me in doing this, but my motivation is to raise money for the British Red Cross. After the horrendous natural disasters which have unfolded in Australia, Japan, and in my home country of New Zealand, I want to bring in some more vital funds to the Red Cross who have been providing aid and raising money for recovery appeals in these areas – and all over the world.

I have a large target to meet, and I'll need your help although I would love to exceed this if I can, so that in future the Red Cross can provide as much relief to disaster-hit areas as possible. (A portion of the funds raised will also help me to get home from Paris once I collapse in the middle of the Place de La Concorde, for which I am eternally grateful in advance.)

So... will you sponsor me? Even if you can only spare £1.00 it will all help, and all add up! 

Seriously, I appreciate all the support you can give, both for me, and the British Red Cross. I honestly wouldn’t put my backside through this if I didn’t think it was worth it.

 x Claire