All

On 15 May I’ll be cycling from Hampton Court to Paris in an effort to raise money for Aspire. I trust you’ll appreciate that I very rarely ask for charitable donations; indeed the last time I did was over a decade ago! I ask that you dig into your pockets to sponsor as much as you feel is reasonable to support Aspire. Any amount that you can give will be a step towards my pledge.

As a society, I often think that we’re guilty of overlooking the vulnerable. People already do incredible things such as: help try to cure or alleviate cancers and other illnesses, fight famine and drought, assist the poverty-stricken and support ex-service people, by way of only a few examples. However we can often forget that there are those who don’t necessarily require a single cure, but need the broader support that Aspire offers. There could be a multitude of reasons why somebody might be unfortunate enough to find themselves unable to secure long-term employment or even a home. Those people might have all the desire in the world, but can’t break the cycle. Aspire offers this support to enable those who need it to make those difficult steps towards a new, stable life and a brighter future.

I promised myself (and the kind nurse in Carlisle hospital) in 2012 to never get back on a bike for longer than a 30mins ride, but here I am. With my 15yr old rustbucket, lead-weight of a hybrid bike, I plan to join a group of 40 cyclists to ride the 225 mile journey to Paris traversing fields and footpaths. It certainly won’t be easy, but the ride is being supported by our kind friends at Cycle4Good (https://www.cycle4good.com). They work tirelessly and entirely voluntarily with various charities in organising, promoting and supporting cycle events and we’ll all be eternally indebted to them when we reach Paris!

As I said, any amount that you choose to donate will be gratefully received.

Many thanks

Andrew

P.S. If anyone knows of any rituals to invoke good weather, please do get in touch. I’m available for video: Skype/WhatsApp/Facetime tuition. Andrew Brockett