My chosen charity is Self Help Africa, who are doing fantastic work across 9 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, empowering Africans living in rural communities to move out of poverty and be able to take greater control over their lives, livelihoods and futures. Donating to support them in their work can help to make a real difference.

The ride came about because I hit a big birthday milestone and wanted to celebrate with a challenge... something achievable but requiring serious training and (ideally) keeping me outside in the beautiful countryside. I settled on cycling the 980-mile length of mainland United Kingdom over 9 days in September.

However, at around the time I confirmed my "Ride Across Britain" application, I met and fell for my lovely Irish partner, Pauline. With everything clicking into place and following an inspirational visit to Donegal, I decided to extend my ambition to include Ireland, so I'll now be cycling the length of the mainland British Isles (Mizen Head - Malin Head, Land's End - John o'Groats), with the Irish leg adding another 525 miles over 7 days.

As of mid-July, my training is pretty much on schedule - I've logged 4,300 miles over the last 12 months, climbing more than 170,000 feet in total (NB. Mt. Everest is 29,032 feet high!). Pauline has been there throughout, joining me on wonderful rides in Crete, South Africa, Thailand and the UK x

So, thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. 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.