Charity Work

A number of people who follow the blog (there are actually 1 or 2) have kindly asked whether I am supporting any local charities.

The Company I work for, Brewin Dolphin, continues their support of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research and association with Geoff Thomas, who is both an inspirational and dedicated spokesperson for a wonderful cause. Last year I was very fortunate to be involved in the London to Paris Charity cycle event as one of Brewin Dolphin's 10 riders. It was an amazing opportunity, which has left me lifetime memories, mostly because of the people I met - from well known celebrities, elite cyclists and just great people that all had wonderful stores to tell. The picture below shows me riding ahead of Geoff in the team colours. More details can be found on http://leukaemialymphomaresearch.org.uk/node/22660

I will continue to do what I can for this worthy cause and will obviously be supporting my work colleagues who will attempt the same distance for 2012. As it is a little close to IM Austria I decided that it was best to opt out this year but I will be following the event with interest .

During the last month I was very sad to hear that we had lost an old school friend to a rare form of cancer. One of the guys suggested a charity cycle ride in May from Caterham in Surrey (the location of our school) to Guernsey (where Rory and his family lived) via Poole (across on the ferry). It involves about 130 miles of riding over 2 days. Because of my interest in the sport I was asked to come up with a suitable route and provide some general advice on training. The guys have varied abilities, from some serious cyclists to the novice (£200 mountain bike that has been stuck in the garage for the last 5 years) - so should be fun! Anyway, the team are looking for any support. We have a fundraising page:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/RideforRory

So what about the Ironman - my intention was always to continue my support of a local Charity that certainly needs all the help it can get. Chestnut Tree House is the only children's hospice in Sussex and does a fantastic job of supporting families going through a very tough journey. Unfortunately the hospice gets very little assistance from the Government and depends on the generosity of the local community to keep its door opens. A link to this fundraising page is listed below:

http://www.justgiving.com/David-Pegler2012

I really do appreciate any support, however small, for any of these wonderful charities and thank everyone for all the best wishes that I have had to date and certainly continue to receive.