I’m always happy to give a little publicity to a good cause and here is a very good one: Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike.

“To let you know a bit more about the event, the Monster Bike + Hike is a 24-hour event where teams of two to six people bike 31 miles and hike 9, 23 or 31 miles to the bronze, silver and gold finishes. Last year from the 850 participants, 680 people made it to the gold finish line and the course record is an impressive 9 hours and 34 minutes. Our goal is to raise enough money to open two new Maggie’s Centres in Lanarkshire and Forth Valley to offer our free practical, emotional and social support for people with cancer and their family and friends.”

About Maggie’s

“Maggie’s provides free practical, emotional and social support for people with cancer and their families and friends, offering a programme of support that has been shown to strengthen physical and emotional wellbeing. Built in the grounds of NHS hospitals, our Centres are designed by leading architects to be warm, welcoming and full of light and open space. They are places to find practical advice about benefits and eating well; places where qualified experts provide emotional support; places to meet other people or simply to sit quietly with a cup of tea. For more information about the brilliant work Maggie’s does, please go to MaggiesCentres.org“

“Maggie’s provided me with a refuge – a sanctuary – part of the real world but somehow detached. The world hadn’t changed but cancer had totally changed who I was and I needed help to learn how to live again.” – Isobel, Maggie’s Centre visitor