Dad's Chase The Sun Sweepstake

Yes, I'm back raising money again!

This time I'm going to attempt to 'Chase The Sun' South on the 24th of June. This is a 205-mile ride from the Isle of Sheppey to Weston-Super-Mare, via the Mendips, and over Cheddar Gorge. Starting at sunrise, around 4.40 am the aim is to beat the sun by arriving at Weston-Super-Mare pier before sunset at around 9.30 pm but ultimately just finishing and completing the ride is the real goal. This route has over 3000 meters of climbing, most of this in the last quarter of the ride, so getting over the Mendips and Cheddar Gorge will be a huge challenge after such a long ride.

You can be in with a chance of winning three £30 food vouchers for use at The Crown Inn, The Castle Inn, and The Vine Inn and eat your way across the Isle of Wight. All you have to do is guess how long it will take me to complete the event, that's Hours, Minutes, and Seconds.

In the event that more than one person guesses the right time the names will be placed in a hat and the winner will be drawn at random. All entries must be placed by the end of the day on Friday 23rd June 2023. Entries after this time will be voided with no refunds offered. All monies raised will be added to Daddy's Little Girl Fund, a trust fund for Esme, Lewis's daughter he left behind.

The event time will be the official chip timing supplied by the event organisers and not any other timing device. In the event the official event chip timing fails for some reason then the time will be taken from Ian's Garmin Edge 840 device data that will be uploaded to Strava for all to see. The time will be the overall event time, inclusive of feed and loo stops, and not ride time only, as this will be the closest to the official event chip timing. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 28th June.

Ian's Official Tracker will be available in due course, keep tabs on him on the day. (updated before the ride).

 

On the 9th November 2021, my son Lewis died very suddenly and totally unexpectedly. While we are still waiting for the final coroner's report all we know at this stage is that Lewis had a massive blood clot on his lungs and he suffered a massive heart attack when staff tried to sit him up to make him more comfortable to see his mother and fiance that evening.

 

Lewis had woken that morning suffering from extreme breathing difficulties and was rushed into hospital, a few hours later he was dead, having died in the hands of those who were trying to save him.

 

Lewis was a father to Esme, a gorgeous 1 yr old at the time of his passing. He loved Esme and his fiance Tash so much and that love was reciprocated especially by Esme, her whole face lit up every time she spotted her father.

 

In November we launched 'Daddy's Little Girl Fund', a fundraising effort to create a legacy for Esme's future, just like how Lewis would have done himself if he was still with us. Daddy's Little Girl Fund will ensure that all money donated to Esme will be placed in a trust fund until she comes of age to help give her the best start in life, a life without her doting father who would have ensured she had the best start in life.

 

Thank you so much for your donation, it will make a huge difference and please be aware that what you donate today will benefit Esme 20 years from now, so your £10 might end up being doubled or more.