Hi Everyone
Writing with a huge note of thanks to Georgina, Katie, Fin and all the other staff, pupils & parents that we did not meet while being hosted during the ‘Doddie’s Triple Crown’ 2026 Cycle challenge event. We have been working as a team to fundraise and sending out individual thank you letters, but I thought I would share mine given special the mention to Warden Hill + attach some extra pics taken when we were setting up the assembly hall. Hope everyone is well and enjoying the sunshine with the start of Spring!
All the very best
Cammy
Dear Warden Hill Primary School
I am writing with a note of great thanks for taking the time to sponsor myself and the ‘Roleurs Edimbourgeoise’ on the ‘Doddie’s Triple Crown’ 2026 ride for MND.
With your help and the help of our other friends & family, we managed, including some corporate matching, to raise >£30k between the 12x of us – and if you didn’t catch the Bios for our team initially, click the drop down ‘Read Story’ on the JustGiving page to give yourself a giggle – https://www.justgiving.com/page/graaandtour . Remarkably, between all of the >450 riders, the total raised for the event stands at >£1.5m, meaningfully surpassing the prior year’s c.£1m total.
The high points of the trip for me, included:
- Seeing the generosity of a Primary School in Cheltenham host 2x ride teams for dinner, bed (in their assembly hall!) and breakfast – wonderful people.
- Understanding how much of a pillar Welsh rugby clubs are to their local communities – steeped in heritage, I smiled to myself in each clubhouse bar, thinking, ‘If only these walls could talk’.
- The togetherness of our team, and the wider teams, through the most challenging of conditions encountered in Wales – up to 50mph gusts of wind + rain for most of the day that was sideways and torrential at times.
- Meeting other friends and other teams on the ferry over the Irish Sea – hearing all their stories from the ride and ways in which they had been fundraising.
- The ride into Blackrock RFC to finish with a parade of local community supporters and our friends who had come to surprise us + the club supplied free Guinness and burgers, which was a very well received offering.
- The incredible generosity of family & friends with either financial donations via sponsorship or time in support to get us ready and help us on the journey.
The low points of the trip:
- Having never cycled any great distance, or ever on a ‘Road Bike’, the thigh burn on the hill climbs, as a result of pushing my big frame against gravity, was pretty tough!
Not much else really. It was a truly life affirming event, leaving me, as hoped, with a deeper understanding of the power of friendship and values driven communities.
So, thank you kindly. Your help is going to make a big difference to an underfunded charity and give the people affected by MND further hope of finding a cure.
I’ll leave you with one of my favourite quotes from the late, great, Doddie Weir:
“Whatever your situation, make the most of each and every day, be nice to people and laugh as much as possible. And when life gives you lemons, pop them into a large G&T. I have my own gin now, you know… Cheers!”
All the very best,
Cammy