Day 6........ Update from Skill

Back home after spending the last 24 hours or so with the LEJOG team who are still very much at it raising money for Skill.

I joined them yesterday at the Stoke-on-Trent Call Centre where Yasmin (from Newcastle) and Becky (from Stoke) did a sterling job arranging refreshments for the team and running a raffle that raised an additional £200 (£400 with matchfunding from the Vodafone Foundation) for Skill.

Two of my colleagues, Rhoda and Gary joined me at Stoke so we could talk to some of the LEJOG teams Vodafone colleagues and explain a bit about Skills work. They were also able to watch the 'Brushing your Teeth' DVD - a film made completely by disabled volunteers to promote dental health care to children and young people. An absolutely amazing piece of work.
Apparantly you shouldn't rinse out your mouth after brushing your teeth; just spit out the contents so as much of the flouride as possible remains around the teeth. This means that for the first time ever my children will be encouraged to spit - (although only into a hand basin after brushing their teeth)!

A big thankyou to Yasmin & Becky for making the arrangements with extra thanks to the caterers at Stoke for laying on such a great lunch and to all those at the Call Centre who were genuingly interested in what Skill does.
　
It was great to see Becks and Eddie back on the bikes yesterday as well. Eddie decided thet the 40 miles he rode in the morning were enough so he joined Lisa in the support van from Stoke to Middlewich and drove her absolutely batty. Becks on the other hand did the whole day which was superb although her knee was giving her a blt of grief today so she very reluctantly decided to grab a lift with Jenny after the morning pit stop.

I would also like to welcome this weekends guest rider, Tom Devine. Tom has secured a fair amount of sponsorship and has been completely behind the team all the way. Never was this more in evidence than today when my last glimpse of the riders was as they left the morning pit stop - Carl zooming ahead followed at intervals by the other riders with Tom bringing up the rear!!

No one can imagine the complete and utter extremes of emotion that the LEJOG team are experiencing; from the complete delight of being able to get back on the bike to the absolute devestation of having to retire due to injury: from the satisfaction of the support crew knowing where the riders are to the gnawing seeds of doubt that manifest themslves when the riders seem to evaporate without trace - and having spent most of my time with the support crew - I know this happens with monotonous regularity.

Where on earth do the riders disappear to?

Can they really ride that fast? (Carls highest recorded speed on this trip is 41 miles per hour!)

And who just transported them back to earth anyway .......


I feel incredibly honoured to have spent the last few hours with the Vodafone LEJOG team sharing this epic adventure. I have seen the jubilation of the team completing another successful day gradually fade away as the pure exhaustion from their efforts sinks in to their very beings. But I have also seen the grim determination to succeed in all their faces because they know how much their efforts mean to Skill and the difference their efforts will make to the disabled people Skill supports.

As the team head on steadily northwards, it is time for me to hand over to Skill Scotland but not before I wish them every success tomorrow as they tackle Shap Fell and I add my heart felt personal thanks to each and everyone of them - cyclists Andy, Becks, Carl, Eddie, Keith, Mark & Veljko: support crew Clare, Jenny & Lisa; guest cyclists James & Tom; all those behind the scenes people at Vodafone (Lex & Claire to name but two - I'm sure there are many others) and of course all the families and friends who have allowed this dedicated team to ride across the country to raise much needed funds for Skill.

Many thanks as well to those very kind people who have given donations to the LEJOG team during the past 6 days. The newly weds and the older lady at Sennen Cove in Cornwall and the family at the Travel Lodge at Middlewich this morning.


Thank you all for your wonderful generosity and so now all I have left to say is:

GO TEAM GO!!!

Carol :)