Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving fundraising page. 

This year I decided to set myself a personal challenge. I wanted to run a marathon, climb a mountain, swim The Channel. And then I remembered my poor rusting old bike and thought I’d cycle somewhere instead. I do consider myself a cyclist, but that’s usually a cyclist in Denmark, one of flattest countries I know! So cycling anywhere where even a slight incline is involved is a challenge to me. The British Heart Foundation’s London to Brighton Bike Ride is infamous, but there was no way I was going to consider it without subjecting some friends to it as well! Cycling on my own? Too much temptation to sneak off and catch the train to Brighton..  With some hardcore convincing/bribing I managed to rope some friends in and we formed The Road Rascals! Although it did take some selling skills, everyone has joined for their own personal reasons too. 

So as part of The Road Rascals, I will be joining my teammates for a rather long cycle ride from Clapham in London down to the seafront in Brighton. In total it’s 54 miles through gorgeous countryside with just a few gruelling hills in the way, not least the infamous Ditchling Beacon just before the finish line. Training has become a bit more serious now, especially now that the sexy lycra cycling gear has been donned every ride! Of the charity runs and walks that we’ve done, this will be amongst the hardest challenge yet I reckon, for all of us. But I’m glad I’ll be riding alongside friends and cycling hard for such an important charity. 

Heart disease is a big problem in the UK, that’ll be no surprise to anyone. But since starting nursing I still find it surprising how many patients of varying ages come into hospital for whatever reason and have some form of heart disease as part of their medical history. Even if not diagnosed with a worsening heart condition, there are so many who take some form of cardiac medication, ranging from high blood pressure tablets to a cardiac cocktail. And amongst my friends and family there have been surprises too. Perhaps I’m just getting older (eek!), but then again I remember a dear friend who died from Sudden Death Syndrome when he was in his earlier twenties and at his most physically fit.  

All the sponsorship money that we raise will help the British Heart Foundation fund hundreds of top scientists all over the UK, working on more than a thousand different research projects. They're all fighting to help heart patients: finding new, better treatments for people with heart disease and developing new ways to better prevent or diagnose it.

From educating the public about nutrition, obesity, physical activity to clinical trials and research, the British Heart Foundation is an invaluable resource, but is reliant on charitable donations.  http://www.bhf.org.uk/research/our-heart-research/how-weve-made-heart-history.aspx  As a team we all feel very proud to be cycling for the British Heart Foundation, knowing that we are helping to raise funds for other people’s hearts, but at the same time helping our own hearts by giving them a good ol’ workout! We’re all hoping the motivation to continue cycling after the event stays with us, right through to winter!!

Every donation will be greatly appreciated and valued and will help towards smashing The Road Rascal’s fundraising target of £500! Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they’ll never share them with anyone or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. They’ll make sure Gift Aid (an additional 25%) is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer too.

You can also donate via text message by texting HLNX82 and your donated amount of either £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 (max £10 per text, max £30 per day) to 70070. 

Once again, thanks for your time and thanks for any donations you make!

Wish us luck!!!  :)