Good afternoon
The 15th August is nearly on us, the date I set for the Jamaica round island cycle ride in order to raise money for Bustamante Children's Hospital. Here's a brief update.
Specifically, we set out to raise the £15,000 that Chain of Hope need for materials in order to carry out 7 critical heart surgery operations. (Obviously operations of this kind actually cost many many times more than this amount but Chain of Hope finds amazing Doctors that will come over and carry out these operations without cost to the hospital or country. To these doctors and all the local staff involved, a massive thanks and big appreciation).
I am very happy to confirm that we surpassed this amount, and therefore doubled our target to £30,000. This was because the management team at the hospital told us that the orthopaedics dept also desperately need funding for much needed procedures and operations. Local funding is incapable of covering the medical support needed by children in the Caribbean region.
To date we are somewhere close to £20,000 with many of you and other people still donating through our various channels. Thank you. Through your support, we now have to actually ride the 400 miles round the island, and do what we preposterously claimed we could! - and in so doing, suffer significantly, and perhaps permanently! We appreciate your generosity, and will find some way to repay you!
If you know people we can squeeze funds out of, please let me know and I'll be round there in a jiffy.
In terms of the ride itself, this has also grown beyond my initial expectations. My brother is flying over, with his family, and he'll be joining me on this ride. An earlier Barnes model by 18 months, but a far more honed and toned cyclist of many years, as well as knowing a little about the mechanics of a bicycle - something I am repeatedly proving devoid of, as well as many other life skills! We rode together a couple of weekends ago for the first time in about 25 years - so this event has also brought us closer and rekindled old memories, something I will always also be grateful for. Thanks Gordie!
In addition to Gordon, David Pines has stepped in. David is celebrating 60 years soon, and has done many crazy things in his short life. He is a consultant that Red Stripe use, but much more than this, has become a big personal friend and mentor, and boy do I need those! He will be flying from Philadelphia on Friday 13th, purely to cycle this race, although due to his own company leadership meetings the following week, can only cycle the first 200 miles, to Montego Bay, before having to jump (if one can do that movement after 200 miles on our blessed roads!) back onto a plane home to Phili'. David will be missed, especially as he's hopping off after the first 200 miles, which will seem like a rose petal scented aromatherapy bath by the time we've completed the back 200! I'm sure we'll have a few choice words to focus his way after approx 3am on 16th when we bid him farewell in Mo'Bay! Thanks David!
Vaughn Phang leads the Jamaica Cycling Association's contingency. I've met Vaughn twice only so far and never ridden with him. (I've only been riding a few weeks since I stopped at about age 15 so I've hardly ridden with anyone!) On both occasions I met Vaughn, it was for him to help me with the mechanics of my bike - as I keep wrecking it! (Do you get a recurring theme here!)
I'm fortunate that Vaughn will be with us. Thanks Vaughn!
Dr Damien King, alas not a medical expert, has stepped up to the plate to cycle, drive and motivate us around, accompanied in the car by his infinitely better half. Knowing Damien and his wonderful sense of irony, sarcasm and wit, he'll act as some Drill Sergeant reminding us of our frailties and keeping us going with some well pointed facts about how little we have travelled and how much more pain we have yet to venture through. Thanks Damien!
Nicholas Stephenson leads the motorised support team. He's always shown huge support for anything that Red Stripe does for the community, as well as helping Jane in the massive mural she's done at the hospital (and shame on anyone who hasn't yet gone to see this amazing act of making a difference. Jane's 6 months in the hot sun is a lot tougher than a mere 40 odd hours on my backside! - she still wins the personal sacrifice award by a long shot!) Nicholas will be carrying the techie stuff we'll need as I will no doubt break something on my bike or me! He will also be carrying supplies from Tastee (round the island on a pattie!), Red Stripe (Malta), Wisynco (energy drinks and Nature's Valley bars) and some great energy stuff from my brother via UK. Thanks Nickie!
Others - we don't know yet. Peter Melhado has pledged to run somewhere, and that'll be amazing. For those who know Peter, we'll be unable to keep up but will rely on Damien's cutting wit to slow him down. Vaughn has said others from the cycle association will join us at the start, as has Jerry from his club. Selena and Matthew have also threatened to join us in Montego Bay for a few miles, with Selena running, which should be suitably humbling, when we're feeling tired and pained to be joined by fresh, fit and ridiculously healthy people, just to remind us that we should have had one less stripe in our prep!
The route has been cut into stages. Bustamante to Morant Bay to Port Antonio to Ochie to Falmouth to Montego Bay to Negril to Black River to Treasure Beach to May Penn to Spanish Town to Bustamante. We plan on a short 10 to 15 min stop only at each stage, but don't really know.
Sandals have kindly offered us sandwiches once we hit Negril and Jason has the girls laid on at Jakes for a quick leg rub. I'm hoping that will reduce stiffness but might just have opposite effect. Thanks to both teams.
We start with a bit of media at the start at Bustamante, with t shirts and a banner to go under - with all of your names on. If you can come along and cheer, cycle or run a few metres or miles, please do. It'll be great.
We hope to finish close to 10-midnight on 16th August, back at Bustamante, assuming the security let's us in! We're then off to bed until mid morning, when I fully intent to go to work, just to show it can!
We are planning on a media thank you at the hospital on Thursday 19th August at 4pm. This will be to recognise all of you for coming on board, to reiterate the difference it will make to our children through the hospital and to share a few of the war stories of the route. No secrets! Please put it in the diaries and be ready to say a few words from your business. It makes a difference.
Mark Haddad, National Outdoor, volunteered as soon as we first discussed this event, to help in any way he could, and has been putting together the t shirt / poster and banner designs. It's painful as more sponsors have come on board, but he has been nothing but a calm force! Thanks Mark and to everyone at National Outdoor.
Our great corporate supporters so far are:-
- Red Stripe REACH (Red Stripe Employees Advocates for Care and Hope)
- National Bakers
- Wisynco
- Digicel
- W+N
- SportMax
- Sagicor
- Island Outpost
- BCIC
- Sandals
- Jamaica Broilers
- Margueriteville
- Twisted Kilt
- British Airways
- Wanis
- Tastee
Additionally we have a lot of personal contributions which I am extremely grateful for.
Thank you a million times - you're all making it real and making it count.
Al Barnes
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