Trans Pennine Trail - latest update

A  link to

This is the start of the Trans Pennine Trail in the west  at Southport.

On Friday, 27th August, a team of riders representing the Barnsley Branch of Parkinson's UK set themselves the remarkable challenge of pedalling 215 miles in three days to Hornsea on the East coast.  This necessitated two days at 80 miles and a final day of 55 miles.  The weather forecast was  not good, with heavy rain predicted.  The bonus was that the strong winds were coming from the west and would help to push them along.

The team consisted of, Stephen Eyre, James Connelly, Andrew Draper, Jan Erik Anderson, Matt Faulkner, Anthony Kidd, Paul Martindale, David Cook, Nathan Vine and Jonathan Hutchinson.  They had a backup team consisting

of two vehicles manned buy Stephen's wife Lynne, James's wife Francis, Stephen's brother Michael and Branch Secretary, George Spencer at Barnsley.

The first two days proved to be very challenging with driving rain which slowed them down.  But they were full of high spirits and battled on.  After the first day they were short of target, by 15 miles.

The team have arrived Hornsea, delighted at their success, with a final sting in the tail, a puncture 500 yards from the finish.

Watch this space for a full account of their journey.

While this was happening a team was heading in the opposite direction.  Story to follow.

On Saturday, 28th August, after a 6.00 start from home, three riders met at 09.00 to start on a four day journey from East to West.  They were l to r Neil  Manning and David Greaves double End to End Pedal for Parkinson's team Chris Turnbull from the Wirral who was riding  three legs, having already compled the first leg from the east.

It was obvious from the start, despite the  blue skies and clear views, that we were in for a struggle. The wind was very strong, increasing all the time, and straight on the nose.

Following a quick photo session by our  driver and Registration Sec, Ian Kemp, we were out on the trail ready  to get some quick miles behind us, but our ambition was soon thwarted by a series punctures to Neil's tyres, the first within 15 minutes of the start.  A very helpful bike shop, Kingston Cycles at 245 Hessle Road,  replaced the tyres while we made a dash for the nearest chippy to  enjoy some of the best value and quality  fish we have had for along time.

On to a nostalgic  visit to the Humber Bridge which we had crossed on the End to End ride last year and then out into the sticks, the fen-like area bordering the upper reaches of the Humber.

By now, the sky was looking very black and the wind was rising to very strong and straight on the nose.  Every turn of the pedal took a massive effort physically, but mentally, it would be very easy to feel disillusioned.  But all credit to the team, we battled on relentlessly.  The journey seemed to take for ever.  It couldn't get much worse.  We were thinking about the other  team coming from the west with the wind

behind the, helping them all the way.  Little did we know that they had their own

nightmare.

We eventually arrived in Selby with day-light fading.  Chris was at his destination, but Neil and I had a long way to go to our accommodation.

We eventually arrived well after dark.  It had been a testing day.

Day 2 was an easy day.  We detoured from the trail to our accommodation near Bretton Park and spent the afternoon drinking tea and admiring the permanent outdoor exhibition of Henry Moore's.  Chris travelled to Barnsley from Selby by himself.

That evening we learned that the West Coast Group had made it to the finish.

Neil and I were staying at Travelodges. The rooms are identical, whichever lodge you stay at, but most people would be surprised that our rooms were different to all the others.  The first thing you would notice would be two bikes resting in the corner, with their riders chatting to  them from time to time.  Every socket would be festooned with plugs attached to bits of kit  - phones, gps, camera batteries, pace makers, walkie talkies and many other bits of Neil kit.  Neil is a kit friek.

Another corner had been converted by Neil into a Chinese laundry  where his smalls dripped dry.  It's a good job we were on the ground floor

On Day 3, we met at Woresborough Bridge and headed out to  Penistone with a real sense  of adventure as we pushed further and further into the Pennines.

We were rising steadily all the way.  At Dunford Bridge the serious climbing happened all at once,  on road and without too much pain and before we knew it,. we were up at the high point and looking down hill. The descent was interesting, varied and very pretty.  A lot of it was difficult terraine, but at  least it was down hill.  I did not envy the guys  who had come the other way one little bit.  West to east  is a very challenging ride.  We were crossing on  beautiful; day.  They came over in a howling gale and torrential rain.  Hats off to you chaps.  And there we were imagining you having an easy time with the

wnd behind you.  Well done.

Neil Arriving at the high point, before descending to cross the Woodhead Pass road.

Chris crossing one of the motorway bridges

It was a long day, always descending but  eventually we arrived at our destination, Lymm, where we said our goodbyes  to Chris and made a fast  detour to our accommodation, arriving once again, in the dark.

July
26 leave Lands End 09.30
Arrive Truro 16.00
27 Arrive Tavistock 16.00
28 Arrive Taunton  16.00
29 Arrive Swindon via Wootton Bassett 17.00
30 Arrive Coventry 16.00
31 Arrive Birmingham 14.00
 
August
01 Arrive Wolverhampton 12.00
02 Arrive Nottingham 15.00
03 Arrive Leeds 16.00
04 Arrive Huddersfield 12.00
05 Arrive Kirkby Stephen 17.00
06 Arrive Gretna Green Scotland 17.00
07 Arrive Glasgow 18.00
08 Arrive Storytelling in Glasgow 12.00
09 Arrive Inveraray 15.00
10 Arrive Fort Williams 15.00
11 Arrive Inverness 15.00
12 Arrive Helmsdale 15.00
Friday 13 Arrive John O'Groats 16.00
 
Just over 1000 miles and a million smiles! will be covered on a Recumbent Trike!! 
 
Story sessions, Interviews, Photo shoots can all be arranged.
 
Tel Roop Singh direct on 07973 286 585
 

URGENT
There is a shortage of Sinemet.  It will impact on people with Parkinson's throughout the world, many of whom don't have a voice to campaign.  Please help by signing the petition on the Parkinson'sUK website.


Trans Pennine Trail meets the public

The venue - Barnsley Football Club.  The occasion = Trans Pennine Trail promotion.  The participants - everything and everybody with TPT connection. So naturally, we were there, drumming up  support for our ride in  August.



Left to right: Neil Manning, double end to ender, GeorgeSpencer, Barnsley Branch, David Greaves,Pedal for Parkinson's organiser,
Jane Riggal, representing Parkinson'sUK, Yorkshire & Humberside Region.  The poster says it all.
Can you cycle 50 miles?  Then send an email to endtoendregistration@pedalforparkinsons.co.uk

Cure Parkinson's Trust in London to abseil with over twenty other volunteers off Hill  House in the city of London.  Everyone successfully completed the challenge and it is estimated that approximately £17,000 will be raised. On a day when the focus of the press was on politics,
we were able to catch the media attention with an impromptu descent by Nick Clegg leader of the Lib-Dems. As he went over the edge, he was heard to mutter, 'Well, I never thought a hung parliament would be like this'.  Please send your donations to www.justgiving.com/David-Greavesisfundingacure


Run curser over space below slide  show to reveal controls:

LATEST NEWS:
Mark Vallance - distinguished mountaineer and Patron will be taking part.  He and I will go together at 13.45.
                                                              Tom Isaacs will go just before us.

Derek's achievements include:

• First to race N. Atlantic (solo) in a multihull;
• First to win a major open offshore race in a multihul
• Britain's top multihull race designer for many years;
• Pioneer of sandwich construction methods (includes building monos to win 'Trans-Atlantic' and 'Whitbread Round the World' Race  - Chey Blyth's Great Britain II)
  
• First truly convenient trailer sailer catamarans - X-Kats;
• First truly amphibious catamarans - Amkats also as effective trailer sailers;
• Several designs and build projects were the largest of type at the time;
• Several performance records have been held by Kelsall boats;
• Recognition as one of the world's best multihull designers.

Pedal for  Parkinson's

" End to End to End

is backing

Pedal4Parkinsons

On 9th January,  2010, 24 year old Sarah MacDonald will be head out from Sydney Opera House on a 900km journey to Melbourne, for the second time, to raise awareness of and funds for Parkinson's Disease support in Australia.  She is repeating the jouney in  support of her father who sufferers from PD.  On diagnosis, he was advised to exercise regularly and took upcycling. You can follow Sarah's journey by following the link to her blog - here we-go-again.html

    

 

 

 

 

Donations top £30,000

 

The total donations so far are creeping up to £31,000.  The recent increase reflects the efforts of team rider Rob Duckworth whose total fund raising effort so far exceeds £2000.  The core team riders' fund raising contribution has been remarkable, with John Dickinson topping everyone. He made an enormous effort in the early days of preparation and the money just kept rolling in day after day after day. Well done John and the Team.  Still time to add to the total.  David Greaves  and friends are doing another bag pack at the local Co-op.  Last time they netted £850.  Why don't you try it?

Top TV Presenter Joins Pedal for Parkinson's

9th August, 2009

Graham Norton, top TV personality, has agreed to become a Patron of Pedal for Parkinson's. This  is fantastic news. Graham is a much sought after performer, is instantly recogniseable and is already known to have sympathies for the Parkinson's cause. He is regularly seen on prime time TV as a chat show host, stand up  comedian, actor and front man for a whole host of prestigious programmes and  award ceremonies. Graham will be a fantastic asset to Pedal for Parkinson's. His  face will open many new doors and help to raise the profile of the project. David Greaves, has been negotiating with Graham's personal assistant for many months. "When I first managed to make contact, I was instantly hopeful that Graham would join us. From the start I knew that my proposal was being taken seriously and that, despite his exceedingly busy schedule Graham was finding time to consider ways in which he could be helpful. I am very grateful to  Graham and his personal assistant for making this happen. But despite my optimism, the news still came as a wonderful surprise.  Graham's association with Pedal for Parkinson's will really enhance our profile."

Scarborough and Barnsley Branch Riders Boost Fund

Congratulations to the riders and their supporters of Scarborough and Barnsley Branches who collectively raised over £4700, a fantastic achievement.  Both Branches have been extremely enthusiastic about the End to End ride and have shown how a modest target of £200 per rider can  can be grown into thousands.   This brings the total so far to £28,863.28.  They have also shown that monies raised through day riders, taps into a different and wider source of donors.  If their example could be used thoughout the country, then the research fund would benefit enoromously in future years. 

 Fund tops £20000

 With gift aid on donations made directly to PDS HQ still to be added to the total, we can now safely say that we have passed the £20000 mark.  When day riders' contributions are sent in, we should see a big surge in the figure.  So well done and thankyou to all who have been campaigning, fund raising or have given donations so far. But we have a long way to go.  To those Branches who didn't manage to find us a day rider this year, it is not too late to organise a fund raising event or a collection.  Please help.

Remember - this is not about riding bikes - this is about funding research into a cure for PD.

IMPORTANT - To all day riders

Donations - To ensure that all money you have collected for Pedal for Parkinson's is earmarked for our fund for research into a cure for PD, please send it directly to me with cheques made payable to the Parkinson's Disease Society. Do not make cheques payable to Pedal for Parkinson's.  My address is on the Contact page. Could you ask the Branches fund raising for you to do the same. I have access to the just giving account and your donation will be reflected in the offline donation figure in the summary of the account.  I am the only person who can update this figure. Make sure you send the gift  aid forms so that Head Office can make the claim.   You  are only allowed to claim gift aid on money paid into just giving if the money is yours.

 

 

What are people saying :-     

Just follow the links

Berwick click HERE

PDS Forum click HERE

Salisbury click HERE

Spokes click HERE

York click HERE

Darlington click HERE

Barchester click HERE

 

David's page

 

Please follow this link to a page containing organiser David Greaves thoughts and reflections on the ride and a tribute to the team members!

 

Friday, 3rd July, 2009

Immediate thoughts and reflections

by David Greaves

At 4.00 am at Tongue on the last morning of the ride, you would have found me standing alone on the causeway over the loch waiting for sunrise.  A year earlier I had been in the same beautiful place with Ben Hope at my back at dawn, anticipating the start of  a new day, my head full of ideas, moving forward with a new phase of Pedal  for Parkinson's.

The first sunlight shines on Hope

With the latest journey almost complete, I  had time to reflect once again.

So, how far have we come?

This has been a very busy and exciting year in my life. Hundreds of new doors have opened, the scale of support has taken on a new dimension, a wave of enthusiasm is growing and spreading and a new team of riders has once again shown that Parkinson's Disease can be overcome.

Any ripples we have caused with our journey north will grow not diminish. New important travellers have embarked bringing their talents, enthusiasms and fresh perspectives  to bear on our aims.

Any noises we have made were intentional. We have had a message to pass and it has been heard throughout the land. The riders have laughed their way north with eager anticipation as each new exciting day unfolded.

We have enjoyed the exhilleration of riding very fast, with the wind in our hair. We have felt the rewards of overcoming every challenge that the days could present and we have experienced the satisfaction at completing the journey successfully.

more............................

NOTE: The daily updates from the ride have been moved to the Ride diary page!

BBC Oxford 

reporting on John Dickinson (published on 12th June)

Mr Dickinson was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2008

A 37-year-old man with Parkinson's disease, who walks with the aid of a stick, has embarked on a charity cycle ride from Lands End to John O'Groats.

John Dickinson, of Wallingford, Oxfordshire, is cycling with two fellow sufferers and three others in aid of the Parkinson's Disease Society.

He said: "Living with Parkinson's is harder than this challenge, but if I do it I will be very proud of myself."

He set off on the 1150-mile (1850km) Pedal for Parkinson's trip on Friday.

Parkinson's is a degenerative brain disease affecting brain cells involved with movement, for which there is currently no cure.

Confronting fears

Mr Dickinson was diagnosed in 2008 and said his "stubborness" would keep him cycling.

The part of the challenge he said he was most looking forward to was seeing people he knew coming out to support him as he cycled through Oxford.

The group is due to pass through Oxford on Tuesday.

Mr Dickinson, an IT worker, said he was also looking forward to getting to know other people who had Parkinson's.

"At first you are scared of facing what could be your future, but after that it's just meeting ordinary people," he added.  

     More Reflections - by David Greaves

The Lull before the Dawn

Sunday, 10th June, 2009 For the past year, I've been talking to audiences and individuals, writing in forums and newspapers, appealing for help from police,fireservices, businesses, cathedrals and Branch members of the PDS, and invariably I always finish by saying, "..........but you know, this is not about riding bikes, ............its about curing Parkinson'd Disease." Tomorrow, the Team start to converge on Lands End and suddenly it's all about riding bikes.  I've talked to most of the team today and I sense a nervous anticipation.............. a quiet expectation.  We've talked the talk now we've got to ...............ride the ride? ????? Doesn't rhyme!!!!!       We've  nowhere to hide...........we've got to ride the ride.

With the start looming, it seems appropriate to thank to a few people for helping to make this thing happen, not the ride but all the effort that has gone into bringing the PDS Branches, Members, celebrities, public and volunteers on board.  I want to thank Kath, my wife for her constant support through my constant neglect, you're special; my committee for helping to carry the load and to the Team for jumping in at the deep end, taking responsibility, using their very many talents to put the show on the road. I am very grateful.  Now for the fun.......................on your bike!!

£200 Mountain Bike Donated

Sunday, 9th June, 2009 A generous donation has been made to Pedal for Parkinson's of a £200 mountain bike to be raffled at the York Cycle Show on 20/21st June!!

The donors are Mally and Dean Buckle of:

M & D Cycles/Bike Shack
9 Horsefair
Wetherby, LS22 6JG
Phone: 01937 588944

Stockists of Falcon

The bike will be on display at the Parkinson's Disease Society Mobile Information Unit along with Tombola prizes. There will also be an annonymously donated Dawes Durango being raffled.  The draw will be on Sunday at 3.00pm in the arena.

 Countdown....

Reflections - by David Greaves

Sunday, 7th June, 2009 9.20pm. With less than five days to the start, the team are facing the realisation that this is really going to happen.  The training is under the belt; was it enough or not? We are all asking ourselves, am I ready. Time will tell.  By lunch-time Friday, we'll know. Climbing out of Cornwall is the test. By dinner that night, we will have worked out who is coping and who is struggling.  But we are a team and we are going to do this thing together.  The problem is that we are making it hard for ourselves. We are working to a schedule; we have to work to a timetable; we have to be at our cathedral stops on time. People are waiting. That puts pressure on us. Until we work out our average speed as a team, we can't make realistic judgements about time in the saddle. On a long distance ride like this, most people will set off when they are ready and pedal until they have finished.  At this time of year, there are eighteen hours of daylight, so you can take your time if you want - but we can't. We have to be there on time.

But we have hit a problem - the route is further than we thought.  In the last few days, the routing/ mapping team have been fine-tuning the detail of our course, and we have added a further 145 miles. We can't change the Rv times with the cathedrals, so we are going to have to go quicker.  But are we up to it?  We shall find out!!  Watch this space...............................

Fund Raising - PD Branches - try this. 

Saturday, 6th June Many Branches feel that they are too far away from the route of the End to End to be able to join in, but this is not true.  TRY THIS =>  On Saturday, a group of us went down to the CO-OP in Bedale and did a bag pack. It was a cold, wet day so the store was unusually quiet.  But we brightened the day up for the shoppers and did a service for the Manager.  We speeded up the time normally spent waiting to check out so fewer tills were in use. And, we raised £583 . Why don't you try it and send us your takings. It was fun and we made lots of new friends.

Muscle Propelled meets Jet Propelled

David Greaves paid a visit to RAF Leeming today to meet the magnificent men and their flying machines who will form the flypast over Ripon Cathedral  on Monday 22nd June. "Standing next to a row of these beautiful fast jets is awesome," said David. "The Hunter Hawks are the sports cars of the air."  The pilots are going to keep track of the cyclists' progress  by monitoring the rather clever mapping/gps system on the Pedal for Parkinson's web site installed by one of the riders, Andy Holdaway, and keep an eye out for the end to enders as they pass north through Northumberland. Seen in the picture are left to right, Flight Lt. Kinnerdsley, who will be leading the flypast, Fight Lt. Martin Jones who presented the proposal from Pedal for Parkinson's and co-ordinated the logistics, David Greaves and Wing Commander Pete Squire, Officer in Command of 100 Squadron. Thanks to all of them for making the visit so enjoyable and the flypast possible.

Team Kit to be Sponsored by Tarmac

We are delighted to announce that the End to End Team Cycling Shirts are being sponsored by Tarmac.  If you see six smiling cyclist heading north, stop them and give them the contents of your wallet.  You'll recognise  them, cos they'll look like this, with a honed body and a bike.  We are still looking for sponsors for the honed bodies and bikes.

We are proud to announce that the RAF have agreed to honour Pedal for Parkinsons with a fly-past over Ripon Cathedral during the End to End  team's reception by the Dean and Mayor of Ripon on Monday, 22nd June. Timed for 11.40am, the planes from RAF Leeming will pass in an east to west direction, that is from the direction of the race course towards the city, so a good position for a photograph would be from Kirkgate. Plans have been under way for several weeks. Making the announcement, event organiser David Greaves said, "This is absolutely amazing. I am thrilled to bits.  I am so excited that the RAF have agreed to honour us in this way."

Fundraising spin for Rachel Connolly

25.05.2009 Latest End to End to End recruit Rachel Connolly went home head spinning after a 12 hour fundraising marathon at her local sports centre last week. She and a friend cycled non-stop for 12 hours, eating, drinking and maybe sleeping in the saddle and raised a massive £444 towards our £100,000 target. She arrived at the sports centre on her bike, fully intending to ride home afterwards, but after half a day spinning, she decided to treat herself to a taxi ride home.  Fantastic effort Rachel.

Successful training weekend in Yorkshire...

report by John Dickinson

A slow crawl up the M1 past roadworks after accident after breakdown... led us to a lovely village nesting in the heart of Yorkshire. The Friday evening BBQ introduced many friends and family who are supporting David in this endeavour and to several co-riders. Mention must be made of Jean's skills at the grill and in the wine tossing competition!

Saturday morning was pretty blustery but that didn't deter us. We pedalled out into a wind that seemed to be in our faces whatever direction we pedalled! Sandwiches in the park provided by the support team (David's wife and my wife) revived us and we pedalled on for rest of the afternoon. A planning meeting in the afternoon made the enormity of the task ahead sink in but also gave us some great ideas to move forward with. David has done an amazing job getting this ride to where it is and and a real feeling of team work came through that day. An evening at the local pub topped off the day in style.

Sunday morning dawned to some achy legs but there was more pedalling to do. We headed out and tackle some of the local hills and got soaked in the process! Tasty burritos and several cups of tea later it was time to say "Goodbye" to our new friends and head back down the M1..... 

Sennen Cove  Life-boat Coxswain  to start

End to End to End

We are delighted to announce that Coxswain Terry George of the Sennan Cove life-boat has kindly agreed to be the Starter of the End to End to End Parkinson's Disease challenge for 2009. Terry joined the crew in 1983 and has been Coxsain for the past 19 years.  If you would like to ride with us for a day or come to wave us off, please gather at the starting line in the car park for a 9.00 am start. For more information about the Sennen Cove Life-boat, Click  Lifeboat

Another blow to End to End Team

John Crossley-Stanbury forced  to quit training

13.05.2009 After days of soul searching, weighing up the options and lengthy discussions with close family and team leader, John Crossley-Stanbury has taken the agonising decision to quit the End to End.  It is the most difficult decisions he has had to make. Recently, training had not been going well. He had been laid off for a week following a fall down the stairs, but then muscle cramps caused by Parkinson's Disease have made every mile a torture. The difficulty for John has been in coming to terms with the reality that Parkinson's Disease really interferes with your ambitions for life. Only a few years ago he had been used to yomping 50 miles a day in the British army but now he has had to face the fact that somethings are not posssible because of PD. His mind wants to do the End to End but his body won't let him. This is not only bad news for John but bad news for the team. John has been a valued ambassador for Parkinson's Disease awareness, speaking on radio many times and appearing on TV. 'I really feel for him', said David Greaves team captain, 'It is a very difficult decision he has had to take. He is absolutely gutted.' 

John Dickinson interviewed by BBC Oxford

12.05.2009 The weekend before last John was interviewed by BBC Oxford - they filmed him doing day to day things (wtih some difficulty!) and then jumping on his bike and shooting off. There was a helmet cam involved.... We hope the interview will give some idea of what living with Parkinson's can be like day to day. The current plan is that they will broadcast the piece on the 12th June (the day the ride starts) and then meet the ride when it comes into Oxford on the 16th June. Thanks BBC Oxford!!

Edinburgh firefighter joins End to End Team

Another one bites the dust

End to End team blighted by more injury

With only 40 days to the start, serious injury has once again struck the End to End team.  John Crossley-Stanbury, such is his determination to be on peak fitness, had just completed a training session in his mini gym in the spare bedroom, very late on Saturday night, when his life went suddenly pear shaped. He found himself at the bottom of the stairs in a heap, having fallen backwards from the top. Blood was gushing from his chin and it was very apparent that his knee was badly injured. He was home alone. He ended up in A&E. He can only walk with crutches (it’s a John thing) and has to rest for three weeks.

Team-building weekend in the Yorkshire Dales

The End to End Team are planning a long weekend in Yorkshire to give the team members time to get to know each other before June. Most of the team have never met before so the weekend will be about Bonding, BBQs and Brain-storming, or that’s what they think. In fact a lot of the time will be spent out on the road giving the members from the lowlands the opportunity to ride up some serious hills in the Dales. In preparation for their rest day in York, members from the south will be issued with passports and Yorkshire dialect phrase books. “If by the end of the weekend the lads from the south can use the Yorkshire greetings, ‘Hey up’ , ‘Na then’ and ‘Ah do’, confidently,” said team leader David Greaves, “then al bi reet chuffed. The’ll bi baahn aaht wi’the’sens so aslbe appy naah.”

 
Update 25.04.09  - After being run off the road in March by a tracker and haveing his thumb in plaster for several weeks, the cast is now off but the thumb is very sore. He is back in training with avengence

 
20.04.09 David Greaves and John Crossley-Stanbury made a TV appearance on Look North Leeds on Monday 20th April. They were able to make an appeal for riders and donations to Pedal for Parkinson's. As a result new riders have been recruited and donations made.