On the road - or rather on the ferry

We're on the ferry to Rosslare, after possibly the wettest, windiest ride ever. After a great send-off from Newspaper House, it started raining the minute we crossed the Severn Bridge. And didn't stop. Throw in gusty winds, and you can work out what sort of ride we had.
Still, after five hours in the saddle, we are please to be in the dry, on a comfy chair.
Clare wants to go  out on deck to take the sea air so we're off to sample the Irish Sea. More later!

In memory of Kath

This one is for you, Kath.
Final update before we set off, so a big thank-you to our latest sponsors: Tony Martin, Claire Bouverie-Brine, Gail in Accounts, Soggybiker from the Yamaha Diversion Club, Julian, Myra and Beth Billinghurst, Tim Tomlinson, and Franki Amadio.
Er, that's it - packing and early night. Follow us on the road!

We've passed £2K!

With three days to go before we ride off into the sunset - alright the drizzle - the total raised in donations currently stands at £2,030. So huge thanks go to our latest donors, Tony Martin, the Cobham Hubbards, and Christine and Danny.
Our ride was also given a boost by the arrival of these natty, bespoke high-vis jackets. They have been supplied, free of charge, by Keith Burr, of Newbury company Recognition Express, to whom we are really grateful - thanks again Keith.
Please do check out his company's website - the business supplies a huge range of promotional goods, and unlike a lot of firms, can handle small orders as well larger commodities. Here's the link:
http://www.re-newbury.co.uk/

Four days and counting...

Only four days before the Big British and Irish Ride in aid of Beating Bowel Cancer. The bike is fettled and polished, the gear is stacked in neat piles in the spare room, the maps have been perused, and most importantly, we're just £25 short of reaching £2,000 (before Gift Aid is even added).
Big thanks to our latest donors, Helen Bailey, Keith Nuthall, Gail Dobson, and Anne Hubbard.
We're hoping Rob McElwee will donate some decent weather. Always preferred Ian McCaskell myself...

Sorry Teddy....

But if you can't fit into one of these four bags - pannier inners (x2), top box, or tank bag - you can't come with us. :(
This is going to be an exercise in travelling light!

Where the money goes

We are now confident that thanks to the generosity of the people who have sponsored us, we will have raised somewhere in the region of £2,500 for Beating Bowel Cancer by the time we finish our ride.
So what will the money be used for? Here are some examples:
£10 could cover the costs of printing and posting Beating Bowel Cancer's information booklets to 10 people. Beating Bowel Cancer provides all its patient information booklets free of charge and they offer invaluable advice for patients and their relatives at all stages of their bowel cancer journey.

£30 could help Beating Bowel Cancer put a patient in need of support and advice in touch with one of its Patient Voices. This group is made up of bowel cancer patients who have direct experience of the disease, and the reassurance and support they provide to other patients is invaluable.

£100 could help address the serious issue of inequalities by supporting Beating Bowel Cancer's  media campaign to make treatments for bowel cancer available to all. Beating Bowel Cancer  believes that every patient, regardless of ability to pay, should have equal access on the NHS to a licensed drug that their clinician has judged to be clinically appropriate.

£3,000 could pay for a reprint of one of Beating Bowel Cancer's information booklets such as Prevent & Detect, a comprehensive guide to symptoms and screening information, bowel cancer in the family, prevention measures, methods of diagnosis, treatment choices and a useful medical glossary.

£7,000 could pay to print and send out an edition of Beating Bowel Cancer triannual's newsletter, free of charge, to more than 10,000 patients and friends of Beating Bowel Cancer. “The News” is a vital part of the charity's communications with patients, family members, medical professionals, MPs, donors and others who have an interest in bowel cancer. It is also available for download from the Beating Bowel Cancer  website (see below or right).

£25,000 could pay the costs of one of Beating Bowel Cancer's  part-time Nurse Advisors for a year. Speaking to a Nurse Advisor can help allay fears, encourage people to seek advice early and increase chances of a successful outcome. This is an invaluable service not only for bowel cancer patients but also for their relatives.

£50,000 could allow Beating Bowel Cancer to run a nationwide campaign to GPs, encouraging better and earlier detection of bowel cancer by providing key information and resources to GPs and GP surgeries. At the same time, posters and leaflets in each surgery will help to educate people about bowel cancer.
All this and more information can be found at the Beating Bowel Cancer website, http://www.beatingbowelcancer.org/
 
With exactly one week to go, the current total stands at a whopping £1,905. So we say a huge thank-you to the people who have donated since the last update: Caroline Franklin, Pauline at Zurich, the Haslam family, Jeff Carter, Nigel Donaldson, Jane Boulton, Mike Farwell, Alan and Nikki Setherton, an anonymous donor, Steve Ambrose, Chris Day, and Graham and Libby Down.
What is really touching is that while many of our sponsors knew Mother, a great many did not. We really do appreciate everyone's support.
Final word of the day goes to Jeff Carter, who, along with a generous donation, left this comment on the Virgin Giving site: "If you take a swear box with you the funds will rise astronomically - my bet is at least 3 soakings and one breakdown! Still I am sure you will be watched over with a mixture of pride, smiles and rolling of eyes!"
How well he knew her...

When you add on the Gift Aid....

...we've passed the magic £2,000 mark. Yup, our latest sponsors, Kate & Co, Tim Marshall, Carolyne Whitworth, and David and his family, have taken the total of donations to £1,620.
BUT, when you add on the Gift Aid, ie the money which comes back to the charity in the form of a tax refund from the Treasury, or the HMRC, or George Osbourne's piggy bank, (I'm not altogether sure which) the total is £2,003.54. So a huge thank you to everyone who has taken us to that point, and of course to everyone else who has donated.
And of course a big thank-you to George Osbourne, who's a solid chap, against whom I've never said a bad word. Ever. ("Woah, bit of politics there, yes indeed." People who weren't  Ben Elton fans in the 1980s now completely confused...)
Let's see if we can't just take that figure a little bit higher. C'mon folks, you know what to do if you haven't done it already. In the immortal words of Bob Geldof......