On 27th August at 15.23 I completed the cycle ride from London to Edinburgh. Although the going was tough I gotta say it was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done and will definitely undertake a similar challenge in the future. To all that sponsored me I say a massive thank you and to all all that sent messages of support/encouragement I say your messages meant a great deal and certainly helped in the difficult momemts like getting uo The Holme Moss Summit! The next time on your busy commute to work you curse a cyclist for holding you up 5 mins. spare a thought....... they might just be doing more than going to work!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.  I am taking part in a solo 500+ mile bike ride from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire to my home in Bathgate, West Lothian to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. I'll set off on 22nd August and plan to cycle around 80 - 100 miles per day.

In the UK every year around 310,000 people are diagnosed with some form of cancer. And around 160,000 people die each year due to some form of cancer. Cancer can be attributed to over a quarter of all UK deaths anually. The biggest cancer killers are lung, breast, bowel and prostate. These four types of cancer contribute to almost half of all UK cancer deaths.

A frightening statistic is that more than 1/3 of people living in the UK today will develop some form of cancer within their lifetime. And despite cancer being thought of as a disease that only affects the elderly more than 1500 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK, with 2000 15-24 year olds being diagnosed anually and over 10% of all cancers occurr in people aged 25-49.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men with breast cancer being the most common in women.

Several years ago my mother went into hospital for a routine operation (ladies problems that I'll not bore you with!). Early into the procedure it became clear that problems were going to be encountered. It was evident a large tumour had gone undetected for several years and was spreading. Test revealed it was a rare form of cancer and was inoperable. At this stage the prognosis was not good. We were informed the tumour was inoperable and the only option was for intensive treatment to commence immediately. If mum responded to the treatment she'd have a 50/50 chance of survival. Throughout the entire treatment mum stayed strong mentally and despite feeling terribly unwell drove herself to the daily appointments at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. To many peoples surprise (not ours) she drove herself to the hospital first thing in the morning to allow her to receive the treatment before going onto her full time job. Throughout the whole treatment process against doctors advice she never had one day off work.

That was 2007. Thankfully mum responded to the treatment and slowly the tumour began to reduce in size. Today she is free of cancer. Mum is by no means out of the woods. The next couple of years will be critical but every day that passes and she remains cancer free is another step on her road to a full recovery.

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 and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story and please donate whatever you can no matter how small.