The London to Paris adventure is a three hundred mile trip which starts at Crystal Palace in London, takes in some of England’s finest country villages on the way to Dover and explores the stunning countryside of rural France before reaching the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It sounds idyllic until you realise that most of the journey is via pedal power only. Except for the channel crossing, the participants undertake the entire trip on a bike and Anne Stockley, from our Wills, Trusts and Probate team, is to complete this daunting charity challenge over 4 days in September.
The Participants
Anne, with her friend Julie, is raising funds for the Hospice of St Francis based in Berkhamsted. Anne says, “As a solicitor dealing with will writing and probate matters, I regularly witness and hear of the amazing work that hospices do across Hertfordshire. They help so many sick people and their families as well as removing some of the burden on our overstretched hospitals. However, their survival depends on the generosity of fundraisers. There are many hospices that do fantastic work across Hertfordshire but we are supporting the Hospice of St Francis because Julie and her family experienced their kindness last year when her father died. It’s a great cause and I am looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
And this really is a challenge for Julie and Anne who are relatively inexperienced cyclists. Anne has participated in the 70 mile Cardiff Velothon and completed the famous 21 bend Alpe d’Huez climb but has never cycled a long distance over consecutive days. Julie’s maximum cycling distance before signing up was 14.8 miles.
About the Hospice
The Hospice of St Francis doesn’t just help people to die with dignity; they help the ill recover, they help the dying live the best life they can in the time they have left and they provide support, not just for those who are sick but also for their family and friends. Hospices like St Francis provide invaluable support across the country and the survival of most of them is dependent on the generosity of people who donate, organise and/or participate in fundraising activity. Julie’s motivation for supporting the hospice is explained on the Just Giving page.
If St Francis is your local hospice (they cover Hertfordshire) we urge you to show some support. You never know when you may need their help.
Related Links
The Hospice of St Francis: https://www.stfrancis.org.uk/
