Mark and Derek's Lands End to John O'Groats bike ride
Mark Stock is raising money for Galactosaemia Support Group
Story
To commemorate me being on this earth for a staggering 50 years now, and to celebrate my left hip’s 1st birthday, my colleague Derek Harper and I have planned to take on one of the toughest challenges known to mankind in cycling the 981 miles from Lands End up to John
O’Groats - and we need your support! Well, financial support specifically.
We are riding to support a charity very close to Derek’s heart – the Galactosaemia Support Group – a fantastic nationwide charity that supports families with children that have this condition.
Derek's youngest son Samuel was born with a very rare inherited metabolic condition called Galactosaemia. The GSG is a small non-profit charity that nationally supports families with children like Samuel. It is not government funded yet, the support they provide to new parents of babies with Galactosaemia, is critical to their survival.
What is it? Well, it affects babies and is an inherited metabolic condition. It affects the way a body breaks down Galactose, a type of sugar found in milk and milk related products. Galactose provides energy but first has to be broken down into Glucose by enzymes in the body. With Galactosaemia the body is short of that enzyme, which means it builds up Galactose and other chemicals in the body. This can lead to severe jaundice, liver dysfunction, bacterial infections, cataracts and, ultimately, death. It can affect 1 in 70,000 babies but is very difficult to detect. The Support Group provides care, advice and ongoing support to babies and families affected. We would like to help them with this.
So, our part to play is to ride an average of 110 miles every day for 9 consecutive days as we make our way up the entire length of the UK. Your part? Pledge some cash to this deserving cause. Simples. We are hoping that Barclays will offer us their support by matching our efforts on a £ for £ basis, so every donation can benefit from being doubled.
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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.