Charity

The Muscle Help Foundation - The Muscle Help Foundation aims to provide amazing experiences in the UK called 'Muscle Dreams' designed for children and young people suffering from the muscle wasting disease Muscular Dystrophy. There are approximately 75,000 young people in the UK suffering from this debilitating disease. Muscular Dystrophy is the single biggest genetic killer of children in our world today. It robs sufferers of their mobility, their independence and finally for those with the most severe type, predominatly children, their lives. The charity's co-founder and CEO is Michael McGrath (aka 'Chief Muscle Warrior'). Michael himself has the disease and today lives his life in a powered wheelchair that he affectionately refers to as his chariot. Michael provides inspiration and hope as well as a unique insight, understanding and empathy towards both the children who receive Muscle Dreams as well as the wider family unit who in turn draw additional strength and joy from the personal interaction and individual engagement by Michael, his own family and the growing army of MHF Friends and Ambassadors. Michael himself has achieved his dream of being the first and only disabled person in the world to have led expeditions to both the North and South Poles. By default, Michael has become the 'DreamMaker' for children afflicted by Muscular Dystrophy. The charity's 'Muscle Warriors' are those generous hearted people who use for example the power of sport to engage, inspire and raise vital funds. Muscle Warriors run across deserts, they do triathlons, they do events called GRIM and Tough Guy, they climb mountains, they bicycle long distances, they run marathons. Essentially they participate in all sorts of fundraising challenges to help raise the money that enables the charity to deliver more incredible and cherished experiences for the real Muscle Warriors, the children whose muscles are broken and wasting away and their families who have to fight and battle on each and every day
The Muscle Help Foundation
The Muscle Help Foundation aims to provide amazing experiences in the UK called 'Muscle Dreams' designed for children and young people suffering from the muscle wasting disease Muscular Dystrophy. There are approximately 75,000 young people in the UK suffering from this debilitating disease. Muscular Dystrophy is the single biggest genetic killer of children in our world today. It robs sufferers of their mobility, their independence and finally for those with the most severe type, predominatly children, their lives. The charity's co-founder and CEO is Michael McGrath (aka 'Chief Muscle Warrior'). Michael himself has the disease and today lives his life in a powered wheelchair that he affectionately refers to as his chariot. Michael provides inspiration and hope as well as a unique insight, understanding and empathy towards both the children who receive Muscle Dreams as well as the wider family unit who in turn draw additional strength and joy from the personal interaction and individual engagement by Michael, his own family and the growing army of MHF Friends and Ambassadors. Michael himself has achieved his dream of being the first and only disabled person in the world to have led expeditions to both the North and South Poles. By default, Michael has become the 'DreamMaker' for children afflicted by Muscular Dystrophy. The charity's 'Muscle Warriors' are those generous hearted people who use for example the power of sport to engage, inspire and raise vital funds. Muscle Warriors run across deserts, they do triathlons, they do events called GRIM and Tough Guy, they climb mountains, they bicycle long distances, they run marathons. Essentially they participate in all sorts of fundraising challenges to help raise the money that enables the charity to deliver more incredible and cherished experiences for the real Muscle Warriors, the children whose muscles are broken and wasting away and their families who have to fight and battle on each and every day

Event details

20 June 2010

Only 0 days to go!


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Muscle Warriors cycle ride

Fundraisers: 
Chris Kelly, Mark Hennessy, Jean-Luc Harnay

My page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/LVG

Thank you for visiting our page. Through Virgin Money Giving, you can sponsor us and donations will be quickly processed and passed to the charity. Virgin Money Giving will claim gift aid on the charity's behalf where the donor is eligible.

ABOUT THIS YEARS’ CHALLENGE

This is the third ride we have undertaken and is the toughest yet. Starting in Geneva on Sunday 20th June, we will begin our quest to cycle a horizontal distance in excess of 700km in order to arrive in Avignon on Thursday 24th June.  But that’s not the half of it, because this years’ ride includes a massive vertical ascent in excess of 10,000 metres.  Oh yes.  For those who are less familiar with cycling parlence, that means that this year’s ride is hilly; in fact mountainous would be a more accurate description.  This years’ challenge will be longer, higher, hotter, more dangerous and more difficult than anything that we have attempted to date.  Here are the highlights:

  • We will travel an average distance of +140kms per day;
  • We will tackle 21 hairpin corners on the way up to the top of the legendary Alpe d'Huez (1,815 metres);
  • We will scale the dizzy heights of the mighty Col du Galibier (2,646 metres), the highest peak of the Tour de France;
  • And to top it all off, we will be taking on the most gruelling climb of the Tour de France - a climb that is feared, revered and respected like no other on the Tour…..the mighty Mont Ventoux (1,912 metres)

It's quite scary just writing this.

ABOUT THE CHARITY

All of the money that we raise from our endeavours this year is going to support The Muscular Help Foundation, a charity that helps to fulfil the dreams of children and young people in the UK whose lives are afflicted by muscular dystrophy.  The objective of “Muscle Dreams” is simply to deliver fantastic and, above all, memorable experiences, enabling a child or a young person who suffers from muscular dystrophy to live a dream or fulfil a cherished ambition that their family simply cannot provide. 

The Muscular Help Foundation was established by Michael McGrath, who was diagnosed as suffering from a debilitating, muscular wasting disease at the age of 17.  Since learning of this diagnosis, Michael’s life has been an inspiring journey of self discovery and achievement.  He is the only disabled person in the world to have led expeditions to both the North and South Poles and he has dedicated his life to helping others who suffer from muscular dystrophy. 

It is an honour and privilege for us to be able to represent such a worthy cause and any donation that you are able to make will be very gratefully received.  

Please note that all of the expenses that have been incurred in connection with this event have been met by the participants which means that all of the money that we raise from sponsorship donations will directly benefit The Muscular Help Foundation.

 

Many thanks for your consideration and support,

JL, Mark & Chris

Fundraising has now finished, but thanks for visiting this page.

Recent donors

02.09.10 Well done guys

30.07.10 Chris, giving up our daily pizza and coke for a week will have been far harder than anything you went through! Well done!

28.07.10 Congratulations Chris on a great outing and well done!

26.07.10 A late donation but congratulations anyway. Hope the backsides have recovered

23.07.10 well done Monsieur! Jlou

09.07.10 presumably you are back in one piece and nearly walking normally again

08.07.10 You know our views of your collective sanity. But nonetheless, hope you enjoyed freewheeling down the easier half. Sorry it's late.

05.07.10 Sorry for the late donation. Great effort

30.06.10 Hey JL, sorry didn't do this before your trip. Hope all went well!

29.06.10 Great to ride shotgun with you chaps.

29.06.10

29.06.10 a great achievement, great cause and chris, pains me to say it, you are a super bloke. Cameron and adams next time?

28.06.10 Well done guys. A fantastic achievement...not to mention effort! You really are a crazy bunch!!

26.06.10 Well done mate.

25.06.10 Go Village and Badger!

24.06.10 An incredible achievement-congrats to all. Hope the bums are not too sore-won't mention the chaffing! xx

24.06.10 Sponsored fishing works too !!

22.06.10 Great effort Chris!

22.06.10 Mark, that is a very impressive challenge and a great cause. Good luck mate. The Burtons xx

21.06.10 Every time I pick up a cold beer I will think of you!

19.06.10 Good luck!

19.06.10 When I explained it to Jamie his conclusion was 'he's mad'! But hey, we already knew that! Best of luck

19.06.10 good luck christ,wish i could of made it.

18.06.10 Remember to pace yourselves.......! Good luck x

18.06.10 Rather you than me, good luck.

17.06.10 Good luck!

17.06.10 Good luck.

17.06.10 Rub plenty of savlon in !

16.06.10 great effort guys - good luck !

16.06.10 Good Luck Chris and team. Fantastic effort

16.06.10

16.06.10 Great cause and best of luck - hope Hitman's knees hold up and the under carriage damage is limited....

16.06.10 Are you sure??? Best of luck.

16.06.10 ze knees - ze knees - good luck & take care

16.06.10 You'll lose a few kilos on those climbs so get as fat as possible before you go would be my advice.

16.06.10 Good luck mate.

16.06.10 Steady as you go, good luck

16.06.10 Go JL! Great event and thanks for raising awareness and funds! Good luck, Bob, Laura, Callie and Christopher

15.06.10 Good luck boys and enjoy. I climbed Ventoux last year, definitely worth the pain. Best, Pete Z.

15.06.10 Good luck guys - great effort and great cause

15.06.10 You guys are crazy! I wish I could join you!

15.06.10 Good luck Chris. Walk in the park for a fit guy like you?....I notice that you didn't point out that technically half of the big hills are actually down hill

15.06.10 I guess this is one way to live out the TDF. Good luck.

14.06.10 Thought you might go for something more challenging this year ! Enjoy nonetheless !

14.06.10 Hope you manage to enjoy the views. Good luck Chris.

14.06.10 Good luck Chris, sounds like an epic. Keep thinking of this great cause while you are climbing to Alpe D'Huez.

13.06.10 Enjoy the ride...

13.06.10 Good luck team - wish we were coming with you (not!). Enjoy it! Sarah and El xx

13.06.10 Sounds amazing, good luck. Colette Richard Thomas and Lucas Hutton

12.06.10 Wow J-L what an amazing challenge but nothing less than we would expect from amazing Godfather! Good luck! Isabella and John.

£8,230.00

Running total

Target:
£15,000.00
Total raised incl. Gift Aid:
£10,191.70
Total donors:
62
Biggest donor:
Anonymous
£1,000.00  
Last donor:
Rob 02.09.10  
Offline fundraising:
£800.00