Our objectives for Ride & Stride are twofold. Alongside the element of personal challenge and enjoyment, we are seeking to raise awareness and funds for three fantastic national charities: Cancer Research UK, Mind and Parkinson’s UK.
Those of you who followed my Blog of the Coast to Coast (C2C) walk across northern England that I completed in April 2022 alongside my old schoolmate Rob Stubbs, will know something about the research that Parkinson’s UK undertake. Rob was diagnosed with Parkinson’s around five years ago, and along the C2C walk we raised over £3,500 towards medical research into the condition. Rob partakes directly in some of their studies, and he has been helping the Ride & Stride team in raising awareness of the condition and in supporting the work done by Parkinson’s UK. You can read more about Parkinson’s UK by clicking on this link:
Our second Ride & Stride charity is Mind. Some of you may recall that Mind was one of the three charities that I supported on my Land’s End to John O’Groats (LETJOG) walk in 2021. I have had some direct experience of their vital initiatives in the community some years ago, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to raise awareness of their work as well as some funds to support their services. Mind are also known to other members of the Ride & Stride team, and we are very pleased to be able to support them through our efforts on the NC500. There are more details on their website:
Our third chosen charity is Cancer Research UK. Like so many others, the Ride & Stride team have seen first hand the effects of cancer on close family and friends. The impact of the disease, in its various forms, affects so many of us and we have seen this at Ride & Stride over the last few months even as our plans have been coming together. Two of our team, Moira and our team leader Julian, have been hit recently with different forms of cancer, both very fortunately early diagnoses, and they are both now convalescing after their respective procedures. We are very much hoping that Moira will have recovered sufficiently to be part of our journey around northern Scotland and that Julian is able to join us in the final stages of the challenge. These stark reminders of the prevalence of cancer emphasises the importance of the work of all cancer charities, and our own experience has certainly given the Ride & Stride team further incentive to get out on the road and to succeed in our NC500 challenge. Our very best wishes go to Moira and Julian as they continue their recoveries. There is more information on the work of Cancer Research UK on the following link:
Thank you all for taking the time to read a little about the fine work that these three national charities undertake. Our aim, through Ride & Stride, is to raise awareness of the charities, of their research initiatives, and of the support work that they do in the community. We are proud to be associated with all of them and to have the enjoyable opportunity to advance their message and to raise some funds towards their work. I am very aware that many of you have given generous contributions to the charities that I have supported through my earlier treks, but if you would like to make a donation to any of the three charities then this can be done through the Ride & Stride JustGiving page at http://www.justgiving.com/team/rideandstride accessible directly by clicking on the following link:
A BIG THANK YOU from the Ride & Stride team to everyone who has already made a kind donation, and to you all for your interest in and support of our three charities. I look forward to keeping you updated on our preparations over the next ten days, and to sharing our experiences with you when our adventure around the NC500 begins in earnest on 7 September. I hope in the next piece to say a little more about the team’s preparation and training for the NC500.
* I explained, in my last post, my use of song titles as headings, and that my choices all have some relevance to the content of the Blog in question or to my experiences of the day. Another selection criterion on this Ride & Stride venture includes the requirement for the song to have a Scottish connection. Well, I’m already straying from the plan rather by including this Lennon & McCartney classic from the Beatles’ 1967 Sgt Pepper album. My justification? The pleasant cover version of this number by Clydebank’s Wet Wet Wet in 1988 proved to be their breakthrough hit, showcasing lead singer Marti Pellow’s vocals and heralding the band’s string of hits into the following decade.
Naturally, once our NC500 venture is completed I will be putting together a playlist of all of my chosen song titles, as a lasting memory of our endeavours!
Walking for Fun, Challenge and Charity! 