After a couple of years off, due to work commitments, I am riding the Pedal For Pounds again this year, to raise some money for a (to me) deserving cause. For those that don't know what it is, Pedal For Pounds is a bike ride put on each year by Yorkshire Cancer Research. They started with two rides from the same location, Harewood House near Leeds. This ride proved so popular that they, after a couple of years, decided to run two rides, the original from HArewood House and the other from near Doncaster. I shall, once again, be participating in the Harewood House one, which starts out flat for the first 20 or so miles, as it passes through Brampton and surrounding countryside, coming back past the huge houses of North Leeds to the point where the shorter ride participants head back into the grounds of HArewood House and the longer ride people start heading skywards. Up, up, then up some more it goes, not steep but unrelenting until you reach the outskirts of Leeds Bradford Airport, then it drops down into Otley, via Chevin Bank, through the town and out the other side for the last big climb of the day, past the resevoir and on back towards Harewood House, through the grounds, across the finish line to be greeted by supporters, given and medal and freebies bag and drinks.
Why do I take part in this? Well in 2000 I met a lovely woman, who had a lovely mother. Things progressed and the lovely woman became my wife, we bought a house together and had a beautiful baby girl. Her lovely mother was active in multiple things, one of which was raising money, and being a member of the local group of this charity. Shortly after our little girl was born my mother in law passed away, and as such I like to think I am carrying on a little of what she did to support YCR by taking part in this ride each year.
It also allows me time, out on the road, to remember my mother in law and all the little stories I have about her....
So, cap in hand time, please, if you can, plead a small amount to help this worthy cause (incidentally, >80p in the pound raised for YCR goes to research, which is a lot more than can be said for other charities).
So link?
http://www.justgiving.com/phil-foxton/ Gives you a couple of options, one to donate via JG, one to donate via JustTextGiving.
I am aiming to raise £1000 this year. I have worked out that if each of my social network contacts (IRL and virtual) gave just £1 each I would smash that amount.
If you want to find out more about YCR, or the bike ride, please visit
http://www.ycr.org.ukThankyou for listening...
