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Challenge of a lifetime

Posted on September 18 2011 at 10:13:48 0 comments

Sue Heard and fellow Barnt Green adventurer Jill Ellison, with a combined age of 119, have swapped dog walking in the Lickeys for cycling through Vietnam and Cambodia for two charities. What on earth were they thinking . . ?

Our little adventure started in October 2010 when we were attending dog training classes. During a short break in proceedings, we were discussing summer holidays and happened to mention that we had done a little bit of cycling – having gone on a few “cycling for softies” holidays, where the most difficult task has been trying to buy your picnic food and bottle of wine in Italian. 

Before we had time to draw breath, one of our fellow dog walkers told us they were delighted to hear this, as they were busy recruiting people to join them on a charity cycle ride. Great, we thought; Birmingham to Oxford, London to Brighton; but no, nothing so simple…

We have signed up for the Vietnam to Cambodia Cycle Challenge (gulp!). In total 41 people will be venturing forth next month to cycle 450km in six days in temperatures of 35C with high humidity. The journey will take us off the beaten track, on very sandy non-surfaced roads, through paddy fields and sugar palm tree plantations and on short boat rides across rivers.

This area also includes the infamous “killing fields” in Cambodia, where so many people died under the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.
After the cycle ride we have signed up to work in a Cambodian orphanage for four days, teaching basic English and games to the children there.

Our first thoughts were that the ride couldn’t be too difficult – after all, we do a lot of dog walking in the Lickeys and surrounding areas and it is pretty hilly around here. However, we very quickly learned that the muscles used for walking are very different to those used for cycling, and the organisers made it clear that training is essential.

When you have busy lives, trying to fit everything in is a major challenge in itself, but the support we have received from Acorns Children’s Hospice (who are organising the event) has been excellent.

We started off well, trading in our ancient cycles for some modest but more suitable ones. At Christmas and our birthdays we persuaded all our family and friends to donate to our cause rather than giving us presents.

Training has been spasmodic as everyday life takes over and plans go astray – it is also not without hazards. For example, Jill fractured a few ribs by doing a somersault over the handlebars.

To encourage people to sponsor us and get the fundraising off to a good start, we decided to do several smaller cycle rides during the year, all for charity, which we could also use as key milestones in our training preparation…we wanted all our sponsors to know they would be getting their pound of flesh!

One of the bigger rides, the Birmingham to Oxford Charity Ride (77.6 miles) took place not long after the ribs episode, but we decided we had to go for it and yes, we completed it…not bad when you consider our combined ages of 119 years and only one good set of ribs between us.

We also did the Hopwood to Worcester bike ride for Acorns – this was only a 50-mile round trip, but as it took place after a very wet spell, it was quite thrilling at times. We have since learned that canal towpaths are the perfect training ground for our trip to Vietnam and Cambodia.

Of course we are getting a great deal out of this whole adventure – we will be cycling in two countries that we wouldn’t normally have visited and we have been able to raise money for two charities that we are passionate about. We have also met some great people, especially since Jill joined the Hopwood Ladies Cycling Club in February.

So why are we so keen to support Acorns Children’s Hospice and the Multiple Sclerosis Society? Well, charities are finding it hard in the current financial climate; Acorns have told us they are around a third down on the donations they normally receive.

I have worked for a children’s charity over many years. Some of the children have very serious illnesses and they receive wonderful support and care from Acorns. There are three hospices that currently care for nearly 600 children with life-threatening conditions, but there are a further 1,000 children in the West Midlands who need their help.

Acorns relies completely on donations. There is no charge to families, but it costs £450 per day for each child’s care. One of our fellow cyclists is someone whose child has just been cared for at Acorns.

The reasons for supporting the Multiple Sclerosis Society are more personal. We have known several people with MS and have a very dear friend who is now wheelchair bound. She is an amazing person who, despite a very uncertain and frightening future, still involves herself in everything she can – for example, she and her partner have supported us by holding car boot sales.

Again the MS Society is totally reliant on voluntary income to provide vital services to those affected by the disease. They provide all types of support including respite care, home adaptations, MS Specialist Nurse Support and counselling.

We have already undertaken a number of fund raising events including a pub quiz. If you would like to support us, you can do so via http://www.justgiving.com/Sue-Heard. All costs and expenses for the trip are being paid for entirely by ourselves, so every penny raised will go to the two charities. Any support, no matter how small, is gratefully received.

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