David Routley and his brother biked 230 miles from his home in Hampshire to Cornwall to raise funds for ECHO. 11 years ago, David’s son, Matthew, was diagnosed antenatally with heart disease. They raised close to £1,400, and David’s employer, Thomson Reuters, matched the first $1000 of his donation.
Every year, my extended family meets up for a holiday in Cornwall. This year, my brother and I decided to cycle to Cornwall to raise money for charity.
Selecting the charity was a no-brainer for me. 11 years ago, one of my twin boys, Matthew, was diagnosed antenatally with heart disease. ECHO’s support was instrumental in getting our family through the most turbulent times we have had to face. The kids having grown up a little, I had come to feel the time was right to give a little back.
In January, we started to plan the route and select where we would stay at night. I also started to train seriously. As the day of the challenge got nearer, it became more and more daunting. Fortunately, I had received a lot of support from my friends and colleagues, and my employer –Thomson Reuters– had committed to matching my donation. This really spurred me on, in spite of all the doubts at the back of my mind.
On the 1st of August, we set off, cheered on by our families. The weather on the first day was great, but it wouldn’t last. The second day was wet from start to finish and drained our legs as well as our morale. On the third day, the wind had picked up and was in our face the whole journey. Each morning it was harder to get going than on the previous one, but our families’ support was a real motivational boost.
On the final and thankfully shortest day, we reached the highest point of the entire journey. We finally arrived at our destination and our families were waiting for us. We had a drink and some food, after which I crashed out on the sofa asleep.
We ended up raising almost £1,400 for ECHO – a sum to match our efforts!