Monday 30 December 2013

Thank you and final sign off

It is fast approaching the end of 2013, and we have been back from our Cuban adventure long enough to have reflected on it, absorbed the experience, put on some of the pounds we lost, and got back into our work routines!

It was an amazing week - the best kind of challenge - hard work, but terrific fun and incredibly rewarding.  It was the culmination of almost 2 years fundraising and training, and we both wanted to close this blog with a reminder of what inspired us to do it in the first place, and to celebrate what we achieved with the help of our friends and family.

Our final fundraising figures are

£2,665 on Just Giving
£5,200 raised from the events we organised

making a grand total of

£7,865.00

We have a small amount left in our fundraising account which we have decided to donate to Beechwood - a local cancer care charity.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who donated, supported us and helped out with our fundraising events.  We could cycle as far as you like, but if you hadn't supported us, we wouldn't have done this.

Just a few special thank yous to:

  • Anne Frampton and the team at Women v Cancer for creating such an incredible event
  • Theo and his team at Dream Challenges for supporting us on the cycle and the amazing organisation on the ground in Cuba
  • Everyone at Umbro - you have supported us in many different ways since we started this challenge
  • Our mums for worrying about us whenever we were out on the bikes!
  • Chris and Ian - for your endless patience and support throughout the last 2 years.  You had to train to do this event without actually doing it.  Still - you both got to holiday in Cuba! :D
  • To Gillian - thanks for asking me to do this challenge with you.  It was a privilege


Finally a reminder of why we signed up for this challenge back in 2011, and what kept us motivated to complete it.  Our friend and colleague Sally Jennings had been diagnosed with cervical cancer, and we wanted to do this for her to show our support.  When Sally passed away, we were just as determined to complete it in memory of her.

Since then, we have had several other friends who have been diagnosed with cancer, and they remain in our thoughts as they continue to fight it.  It has really highlighted to us the vital importance of the charities we have supported:

Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust
Breast Cancer Care
Ovarian Cancer Action

who in turn offer support and advice at a time when it is needed most.

Thank you
Karen and Gillian
Cuban Wheels