Im raising money for two reasons this year:-

1) This will be Hope’s 50th Anniversary cycle ride challenge, and it is set to be a spectacular event. I have been organising Ride For Hope cycle events for this charity for 10 years now & this will be the biggest cycle event to date!

The challenge for me isn't just riding the route, but getting 50 or more riders to their final destination, with as few hiccups as possible! The organisational challenges for myself & the committee members that I chair, will be sufficiently onerous to encourage my dear friends to help sponsor this event!

The route is a classic and iconic ride from London to Portsmouth, then to Le Havre and meandering our way along the Seine onto Paris.

It’ll be a tough but beautiful ride with the usual mix of fun, food, friendship and fundraising.

The money raised from the challenge will support people facing homelessness and hardship. Hope has just successfully supported people rough-sleeping with a temporary winter night shelter, feedback from residents was overwhelming.

1) My mother passed away last year. As a family, we loved visiting our lovely seaside cottage in Llanbedrog. Since I can ever remember, we have spent many hot (& not so hot) summer holidays on the beaches of North Wales. I now enjoy spending long weekends with Sue & my daughters, on various trips to our seaside recluse each year.

This summer solstice I plan to cycle the 234 mile journey in one day, in memory of my dear mother. The money I raise will go to my JustGiving account set up by the Hope Centre, a charity I have been supporting for over 10 years.