How it all began -Paul's Story

Sarah is my partner. One day Sarah told me her father, Ken (shown left), just got back from the doctors having undergone tests, and he had been diagnosed with Dementia, leading to Alzheimer's. Well to be honest, I really did not comprehend what that meant or how things would change for Sarah and her parents. Why didn't I know? This disease is a major life changing event and effects so many people. The reason is, there is so little publicity around it. Unless you directly know someone suffering or being affected, it seems to be totally overlooked. Perhaps because it happens to older people, so I don't need to worry just yet, as I'm still young?

Well we began to research and the news is not good. No cure as yet and a severe lack of funding to help with the level of research needed. We found the ART web site and I was inspired by all the fundraising events taking place and the actions undertaken by this charity. (The first glimmers of hope in an otherwise gloomy future). I wanted to be involved, raise some funds for ART, help them continue the great work. One thing I can do is cycle, being a member of a long distance endurance cycle club. If I could ride to the ends of the earth and back to find a cure or even to give Ken a better chance of normality, I would leave right now!

The longest, hardest ride in the calendar this year is the LEL, (London-Edinburgh-London), that's close enough to the ends of the earth for now. I went back to the ART web site to read more on all the fund raising and amidst all the inspiring events found a link to a extraordinary person, who had run the London marathon, and, knitted a scarf while doing it, and, not just any scarf, a big one. That person is Susie Hewer. The event had put Susie in the Guinness Book of World Records for producing "The longest scarf knitted Whilst Running a Marathon".

In a flash of parallel madness I contacted Susie to see if she wanted a new challenge. While training for the LEL Susie could come along too, on a tandem, perhaps repeating the success of the marathon run and knit another scarf. I waited for a reply, and I guess you now know the answer.

Why will we be doing this. Simple, for Ken, for ART, for all of us, who may one day need or benefit from a cure for an indiscriminate disease, that may already lurk within.

What are we doing? Raising awareness, Raising funds, and Raising Hope.

When, a series of rides to raise awareness with a record breaking event on the tandem. See the dates on our events list.