In three short weeks I’ll be joining a group of wonderful people from Orange Box when we cycle from Huddersfield to London – the purpose being to raise money for two very important charities, PWSA UK – Prader-Willi Syndrome and Velindre Cancer Centre.
- Day 1: 100 miles, Huddersfield to Melton Mowbray, approx. 2575m climbing
- Day 2: 95 miles, Melton Mowbray to Stevenage, approx. 1000m climbing
- Day 3: 35 miles, Stevenage to London, approx. 500m climbing
Raising money for two wonderful charities
Two employees from Orange Box, Andy Hiscocks and Dave Carter, have selected these charities as they have personally helped to support their families. You can read more about their stories below.
DONATE HERE: Please give generously – our target is £5,000.00
Nancy’s story (words from Andy Hiscocks, Nancy’s dad)
Our three-year old daughter, Nancy, has Prader-Willi Syndrome (‘PWS’). It’s a rare genetic condition, caused by a chromosome disorder that is estimated to affect 1 in 22,000 children.
As a baby Nancy was very weak and required a constant flow of oxygen for a few months and a feeding tube for several months more. The condition affects Nancy’s muscle tone so she is not yet able to walk very far unaided, although she’s getting there slowly with physio and hydrotherapy. PWS also affects the part of the brain that controls appetite so as children get older their appetite will become insatiable.
This coupled with her poor muscle tone and a decreased calorific requirement means that children with PWS need to have their diet strictly monitored to prevent potentially life threatening obesity.
People with PWS have central nervous system and endocrine gland dysfunction causing varying degrees of learning difficulty, short stature and impacting upon emotional and social development.
The Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (‘PWSA’) has been a huge support to us as a family; not only in providing us with a wealth of information and support about the condition, but by organising regional family days out to allow us to meet other affected families. We feel very lucky to have the support of this charity and are so grateful to anyone that makes a donation – a huge ‘thank you’!
Tom’s story (words from Dave Carter, Tom’s dad)
From an early age Tom’s been sport mad and with a special love for cricket (he’s been a demon batsman from the age of 8!). He went from being captain of his school team, to playing at county level for Gwent and then at just 17 years old found himself playing for Newport 1st team.
Soon after though, Tom was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma of his left tibia and was referred to Velindre Cancer Care Hospital and started his first chemotherapy at the teenage cancer trust unit in Cardiff.
After two courses of chemo he had to have his left leg amputated above the knee. 18 months later, the cancer had spread & he underwent a further operation to remove his right lung. Despite all this, Tom kept playing cricket & even went on to captain the Wales disabled team.
More recently, Tom started complaining of headaches and double vision and a CT scan showed a tumour on the brain, which has meant yet more chemo and radiotherapy back at Velindre.
All through his treatments the care Tom’s received there has been outstanding and the support for our family has been amazing too. You can’t really explain how much this means to you until you’re in this position and we’re so grateful for any donations to help them support many more families like ours.
Through Virgin Money Giving, you can sponsor us and donations will be quickly processed and passed to our two charities. Virgin Money Giving is a not for profit organisation and will claim gift aid on a charity’s behalf where the donor is eligible for this. We really appreciate all your support and thank you for any donation, no matter how big or small.
New friends – creating memories through sport
This will be the second time I’ve ridden with the Orange Box team. The first was cycling from London to Wales a few years back, when myself and a few other Kingston Wheelerslead riders from the Orange Box office in Northampton Road in East London, out into the Surrey Hills, where the route continued down to their head office in Cardiff, Wales.
It’s a privilege to be invited to join the team again, to help map out the final leg into London and generally enjoy time with riders on the road. He’s to three fun filled days of adventure, camaraderie and friendship.
- 4000+ metres of climbing
- 200+ hilly miles
- 32 riders
- 5 support staff
- Three days
DONATE HERE: Please give generously – our target is £5,000.00
A big ‘Thank you’ in advance for your support.
Follow our journey on Twitter – @EmmaPotter73 #BRTW2017
Brand Strategist, Colour Consultant, Coach 