A group of about 15 of us are going to attempt to pedal around the route of the first stage of the Tour de France.  We have tweaked the route very slightly to start and finish at Surgical Innovations.  In total, the route is about 135 miles.  We are hopefully going to do this on the evening of Thursday June 5th and then all day on Friday June 6th.

The chosen charity is The Sick Children’s Trust, who provide 'Home from Home' accommodation for families whose children are seriously ill. The charity has a house here in Leeds at the LGI hospital and one of the people who has benefited from their support is Julia from our Communications department.

Julia’s daughter Maisie was born three years ago on the day Princess Anne visited Surgical Innovations but 17 hours later she stopped breathing as a result of cot death and was put on life support. Julia and her partner Will live in Sheffield but the ‘Home from Home’ at the hospital meant they could both stay here in Leeds at Maisie’s bedside, 24 hours a day and also be with other parents who babies were in intensive care. 

It provided a ‘home’ for them giving them comfort and support when they needed it most.  Although the ‘Home from Home’ is free of charge for families it costs the charity nearly £30 per room, per night, to run and relies solely on donations. We hope supporting this charity will give other families in Julia’s position a ‘home’ and support here in Leeds.

Any donations to this fantastic cause will be greatly appreciated!