I am undertaking the cycle from John O'Groats to Land's End, on behalf of Diabetes Scotland and in memory of my mother, Dr. Ethna Drever, an Edinburgh General Practitioner, who died in 2007 from a stroke, which was most probably linked to her living with Type 2 Diabetes in the last decade of her life.

I, myself am a retired General Practitioner, having followed my mother into practice. I am also a keen cyclist. My interest in Diabetes is twofold. Firstly, in practice, I was responsible for the care of our patients living with Diabetes. In order to improve the care provided I sought further education in Diabetes at Warwick University, gaining both a Postgraduate Award and a Postgraduate Certificate in Diabetes. Following retirement, I have been able to continue using the skills acquired in this further education whilst volunteering for Diabetes Scotland.

Secondly, I have a strong family history of Type 2 Diabetes, especially on my father's side, so it was quite a surprise when my mother was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes during the investigation of another medical condition. She did not fit the profile of someone likely to develop the condition. She had no family history. She was not overweight. She exercised regularly. She ate sensibly, apart from a slight sweet tooth. Volunteering for Diabetes Scotland has allowed me to keep mentally active and it is the cycling that keeps me physically active!

The Bike I will be using is a 1969 Raleigh Road Bike. It has recently been fully refurbished, but it does retain many original parts. The bike has made the trip from John O'Groats to Land's End twice before, firstly in 1985, when ridden by my sister, and secondly in 2010, when ridden by my niece.

I will be cycling largely alone and without support, carrying all my clothes and equipment in a small saddlebag. I will not be using modern technology beyond an old style mobile phone, so no smartphone or GPS; direction finding will be by map and compass. My aim is to complete the trip in 18 days, sixteen days in the saddle and two rest days. I hope to set of at the end of August or the beginning of September, travelling north to south against the prevailing wind and weather!

I hope to raise up to £5,000 for Diabetes Scotland. The money raised in Scotland for Diabetes stays in Scotland and is used to fund research programmes within Scotland into Diabetes with the aim of improving treatments and outcomes. I am grateful for any support you can give Diabetes Scotland in their work.