Hi, thanks for visiting our page.

On the last weekend of August, we will be undertaking Ride the North, ~ 170 miles of road cycling over two days taking in some of the most beautiful and hilly scenes in NE
Scotland. 

Routes for day 1 (http://www.ride-the-north.co.uk/the-route/day-1-rhynie-to-inverness/) and day 2 (http://www.ride-the-north.co.uk/the-route/day-2-inverness-to-ryhnie/) will give you an idea of the ascents
and descents involved and some idea of difficulty!

 This year we are riding for Charlie House (http://www.charliehouse.org.uk/), a charity close to home and close to our hearts.  To quote from the Charlie House website “Charlie House is a new, locally based children’s charity which engages in activities and projects to support children with complex disabilities and life limiting conditions.”

Why would we want to sit on a bike for 175 miles
you may well ask?

There are close friends that live not too far from us that do a sterling job of looking after and supporting their son on a daily basis – here’s an extract from their lives:

 “I wanted to try and explain a little bit more about our numerous hospital admissions and try to reassure people that we are not being let down by the medical profession. Rory has a condition called Dystonia now, which was diagnosed just over a year ago. This presents itself in episodes which seem
like seizures. They are actually dystonic muscle spasms which are a result of his neurological issues.

We cannot find a cause or cure for this, we can simply try different medications to try and control them.
Sadly, each change in medication only lasts for short periods of time (3 weeks at present) so after the 3 week period of being settled again, the spasms start
and Rory is uncomfortable, in pain and quite distressed.

We work very closely with his doctors to try and manage this at home but when other factors are affected like his breathing, a hospital admission is a must. Every consultant we see does their best to resolve this but they are not miracle workers and cannot predict the effects of any treatment. I feel very lucky and supported by the medical profession and rely heavily on the nursing staff for breaks, advice and support. It is tough spending days in hospital, it is tough watching Rory suffer and it is tough spending time split as a family. So - the 13 hospital admissions over the last 12 months are not the actions of a paranoid Mum, or the mistakes of a medical professional, they are simply the ‘ groundhog Day’ effect of this condition. Rory is improving today, after yet another medication
being added, so we hope to get him home again tomorrow”

Charlie House will allow parents to take short term breaks and engage in activities with their families that they otherwise may not be able to do.  There will also be activities that will be suited around the needs and requirements of the children, with specialist carers on hand to look after the complex nature of the children in their care.

 Please, help and donate even just £1 or more if you can and be part of the fundraising effort that will help get Charlie House off the ground.

Because life is Precious 

Anything you are able to give would be greatly
appreciated, and bring much needed support to the families.

 We really appreciate all your support and thank you for any donations.

Many Thanks

Fee and Calum x x

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.