On Tuesday 7th August I’m setting off from Blackpool Tower and riding to the Eiffel Tower. I’ve got three days to get it done. 540 miles in total. I did something similar a few years ago and managed to raise around £1500, mostly from the generosity of regulars on this forum.

As before and as with this fund raiser for St Ann’s Hospice, every £1 donated will get an entry into a raffle with a multitude of prizes. Currently included are still boxed 29″ Hope XC Mountain bike wheels (all black), a 33″ Toshiba flat screen TV, free bike service courtesy of Bicycle Smithy, gym membership with lots more to come.

All the details can be found on my Just Giving page

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/twintowers540miles

Just a couple of quid if you can spare it, accumulatively will amount to a not insignificant amount for this fantastic organisation and you’ll have the chance of winning something into the bargain!

Also, feel free to join me on some or all of the ride. It’s a while away yet and more prizes will be added and updated on here.

Added to the prize draw by the exceptionally generous Tony (Jedi) Doyle is a voucher (worth £95) for a skills day with UK Bike Skills!

Somebody is going to win a UK Bike Skills coaching session or a set of still boxed Hope wheels or a huge Television etc, for £1. Sounds bonkers but that’s the truth of it. Somebody will donate and £1 of that donation is going to win something worth so much more. Donate just a £1 to this amazing organisation and in August you could be getting an email or a text from me asking for your address because I need to send you your prize!

More prizes being added as the weeks go by.  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/twintowers540miles

Thank you very much. Every pound is massively appreciated.

Nobody tempted by a session with UK Bike Skills or a set of brand new Hope Hoops for £1?

I’m surprised…….

How long is the just giving page running for? Should be able to donate later on in the month.

Impressive fundraising idea, good luck with it.

Thanks gnusmas. The raffle draw will be the weekend following the ride (anybody and everybody welcome to join in as well)  so Saturday 11th or Sunday 12th August depending on who’s doing it at the hospice. We’re hoping for somebody with a degree of celebrity status. I’ll look a right prat if the total is £150 or something. I’m starting to panic here a bit but I suppose there’s loads of time yet 😉

A bump for the evening lurkers.

good luck with it dude

10p a mile, that’s what I got for my school sponsored walk 🙂

Thank you so much again for the voucher Tony!

Mr Nettles! You are a legend! How far did you walk? 🙂

Anybody else? Some really good prizes and more to be added. Just think. Spend a quid or two, barely even notice it and then in August, get a text or email asking for your address because you’ve won a skills day with Jedi worth £95 or a box fresh set of Hope wheels….

We had to walk 20 miles, and a bird shat on Neil Beecher’s packed lunch in Lyme Park.

Let us know what your route is, if I can be a wind break through any of it I will do.

Hehehe! I bet that get a mention every time he comes into contact from somebody who was there.

Route is a straight a line as I can make it from Blackpool to Newhaven. I think it will go through Royal Leamington Spa and Oxford. It would be lovely to ride for a while with you.

Well, if you need somewhere to stay on the first night you can stay at ours. A quick google tells me 200 miles from Blackpool Tower to our place, that can probably be tweaked to be a bit more direct. It’s then 140ish to Newhaven from ours. Offer’s there.

What a very kind offer! Thank you very much.

I’m going to start distributing raffle tickets this week. I’ve not checked because I can’t get into Gmail at work but it’d be great if I could get your mobile numbers (I promise they won’t be sold to PPI firms etc.) or email address and I can let people know what their winning numbers are.

<span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>Huge thanks </span>also to the guys who have just donated via this forum! It’s massively appreciated, it really is and it’s a real motivator to get out and get some miles done in the hail and snow.

An unashamed bump with the begging bowl out. More prizes added and more still to come, Any contributions hugely appreciated.

Thank you very much for the donations / entries so far,  Hedley…..I hadn’t thought about the wet stuff in between…. . I need a plan (or permission to do laps on the ferry).

Get a cabin on a late-night ferry at the end of day two, get some kip, then day three is from Dieppe to gay-Pareee.

Just had a quick look, there’s a 23:00 from Newhaven, gets in to Dieppe at 05:00 (it’s a four-hour crossing though, extra hour is time difference).

£28 as a foot/bike passenger, extra £60ish if you want a cabin. If you want to risk it, you can normally get cabins when you get on the ferry, if they have spare ones, for less than the pre-booked cost.

What’s the score with gift-aid? Went to donate and add gift-aid but one of the check boxes says ‘I am not making a donation as part of a sweepstake, raffle or lottery’

Just checking you’re not making potential trouble for yourself as much as anything

Thanks for the logistical research Si. I’ll have two of the fundraising team out on the road in a hospice van veryfiying at various (undesclosed to me) points along the way right into Paris so I don’t cheat. Somebody let slip that I was dragged up on Offerton Estate.

Connect. Pretty much everyone who has donated / sent some funds including our works CEO have gift aided but it’s entirely up to you. Either way would be very gratefully received and I will take personal responsibility for any fall out regarding the Inland Revenue and gift aid.

Thank you very much for considering making a contribution and in turn entering the draw.

Steve

Thanks again to all that contributed through this forum. Your generosity is heart warming. It astounds me that St Ann’s probably the biggest hospice in the UK, like all hospices are charities and in St Ann’s case, they have to generate £16,000 PER DAY just to keep the doors open. well, that’s my minor rant out of the way.

To those that have contributed some cash, please could you leave me your email address or mobile number (I promise I won’t pass them on to anybody at all – not even to the fund raising team) at Twintowers540@gmail.com so I can email or text your ticket details to you.

Again, thank you very much indeed. It would be great to see you out on the road on the day if possible? I’ll post up the route and timings nearer the time….and when we’ve had chance to even plan a route or we could leave it to the excellent Mr Nettles and just go where he tells us? 🙂

Just looking at various routes for the English section. It has to incorporate, or pass not far from Heald Green (Stockport) so I can call in at the hospice for a photo shoot.

Google maps is suggesting Blackpool, Preston, Chorley, Salford, Heald Green, Alderley Edge, Congleton, Stoke on Trent, Wolverhampton, Royal Leamington Spar, Oxford, Guilford, Newhaven. Any better route suggestions?

Anybody feeling generous (or lucky)? I could do with a few more quid to jump start momentum again. Still very early days but it all helps and I’m very grateful.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/twintowers540miles

Donated.

As mentioned previously, 10p per mile is what it was in school so have matched that too 🙂

Good luck with the journey, keep safe.

gnusmas! Thank you very much indeed! That’s really generous. Thank you. Any chance of you making it out on to the road with me for a little while on the 7th or 8th August? It would be fantastic to get to do a few miles with you and with anybody who has very kindly contributed so I can say “Thank you” in person.

I’m just in the process of getting your draw tickets photographed for you.

No problem, glad to help. Also done the same for Bullheart. After all the help we had last year, i wanted to try and give something back.

Looking at your route, unfortunately don’t think I will be able to join you. If i can manage it somehow i will let you know. I live in Carmarthen, West Wales. If you ever find yourself down this way though give me a shout and i will see what i can do.

I may be doing the Sarn Helen again this summer Gusmas. Thank you again for your massive support.

I’d be interested in opinions of routes from Blackpool to the south coast if anybody has them?

Nearly reached the target of £540 within 10 days. Members of this forum are largely a special bunch….in a good way 🙂

Bargain Booze have donated a hamper (6 bottles of wine) to add to the prizes if anybody else is tempted to stick a couple of quid in?

Wonderful idea. Good luck. I’ve just bunged £10 to you.

Thank you very much! I’ll get your tickets organised this evening for you. Hoping to have some Adidas sports gear to add to the draw soon.

Thanks very much again and good luck in the draw.

Just £18 short of my £540 target in one week! Thanks so much. I thought it would take up to August to get anywhere near that!

I love this place. Still hoping for route suggestions and volunteers to come and ride for a bit.

Hey Steve, so glad to see you are back on good form, and I don’t say that lightly. Good luck with the ride, I’ll pop you some cash on Friday when I’m paid. When you do pick a route pop it up, I would gladly lend you a wheel for a few hours somewhere midway.

I’ve bunged a few quid in, good for you, its a bloody travesty that the work done by hospices has to be funded by this kind of thing.
I’m a bit far out to join you for any of the ride but enjoy yourself.

Monksie – £20 into the pot and contact details mailed.

Looks like a L’Eroica bike on the trainer.

Wow! Thank you very much indeed for the contributions. I’m gobsmacked but really grateful. Over £540 in 8 days! I’ve barely got started on the prize collecting and I am WAY behind on issuing out tickets. Really sorry but I’ll get on to it this evening and get them all done for everyone.

It would be great to do a few miles with you Stevie and anybody else along the route. I would love to be able to say thank you in person to everybody.

The bike on the turbo hasn’t had a pedal turned in weeks. I really need to up my game or I’m going to fail miserably….

I get so frustrated that hospice’s have t rely so heavily on donations. I remember volunteering and a young mum of two who was supposed to be going on holiday with her youngsters had a paddling pool, sandpit, inflatable palm trees, sun loungers and more in her room with ice creams and a guest visit of a donkey at her room window.  They’ve had Christmas in October, Premier league football players in to visit…. they just find a way of doing stuff. Putting life in to hours where they can’t put hours in to life.

I’ve been photographing and sending images of people’s raffle tickets but there a few who haven’t left any contact details. It would be great if you could get in touch if you haven’t so I can add your details to the prize draw. I wouldn’t want anybody to miss out.

Just 10 days in and the target of £540 is now disappearing in the rear view mirror.Fantastic stuff! Lots and lots of prizes to be added to the draw so chuck a quid or so in if you’d like to be included?

Really very big thanks to everybody who have done so, so far. You’re all ace! 🙂

A 6 bottles of expensive wine hamper has just been delivered courtesy of Bargain Booze.

Thank you very much for the donation Jimdubleyou. you’re very kind. I’m just organising your tickets.

Can anybody recommend a sports physio in the Manchester / Peak area? What I thought was an ITB injury just isn’t getting any better three weeks on. My knee is ooked with an f on the beginning and I have a very big bike ride to train for.

Massive thanks to Simon for the donation. I’ll get your tickets organised. Still months to go and the funds are edging toward £1000 which is brilliant.

I’ll get organised this weekend and add some more prizes that have been donated.

As ever, huge thanks to everybody who have donated and “Go on. You have to be in it to win it!” to those thinking of donating.

I’ve had a message from Just Giving. It was mentioned above (some way up) but as this is essentially a raffle fundraising event in the back of a (rather large) challenge, gift aiding your contribution is not allowed.

Your very generous donations without gift aid are still VERY much appreciated.

I seem to be stuck at a rather unfortunate number. Especially for the superstitious. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/twintowers540miles

Now added to the prize fund is a £40 gift card for any Nando’s restaurant or takeaway. Somebody is going to win with a £1 ticket one of the excellent prizes, not least a day’s instruction with Tony (Jedi) at UK Bike Skills, or a flat screen TV etc.

I seem to have stalled at £666 which is a bit unnerving. I’d really appreciate a little nudge up and it could very well win you one of the excellent prizes already donated or yet to come.