Following the success of my Bike Brazil challenge in April 2005 to raise money for Scope, the cycling bug has got to me again and I have agreed to carry out another cycle ride for Scope in November 2006. This time to Cambodia, cycling 600km over 6 days and sleeping in tents.......Oh my goodness what am I thinking of.......!

I work as a Paediatric Physiotherapist at Ingfield Manor School, which is a Scope school in Billingshurst, offering Conductive Education to children with cerebral palsy. For the Bike Brazil challenge last year, I managed to raise nearly £5,500 for Scope and Ingfield Manor School’s computer project. Along with money donated from some other people from the Brazilian trip, Ingfield itself received about £20,000 in total, which has meant that all the classrooms have 2 new state of the art computers in them and there is also other money being spent on individual communication devices for the non-speaking children. It has been fantastic to see first hand how the money has been put to good use to benefit the children.

For my Cycle Cambodia trip, I have to raise a minimum sponsorship of £2,600 for Scope again, and this time the excess money raised over this amount will go to Ingfield Manor School's new Preschool, which is in the process of being set up. This is a very important project, as early years intervention is vital for the children’s development. These young children will also be part of the future and success of the main school in years to come.

I will be holding several fundraising events over the coming months, the main one being a theme party, which promises to be a great night:-

Heroes and Villains Party
Featuring
MacStrappe
at Dorking Rugby Club
on Friday 5th May 2006
8pm onwards
tickets £10
Prize for best fancy dress etc........

Please keep this date free and spread the word to friends and family. Those of you that came to either the James Bond or the Oscars Parties will know how fantastic the band MacStrappe are.

Paul Wheeler is especially coming back from Holland (where he now lives) to play for us as we're such a good crowd!! It is also a fantastic opportunity for me to get a new wig and Andrew to get his legs out again (but don't let this put you off!)

Cathy Bushe X

Bike Brazil - Cathy Comes Home

I returned home safely from Brazil on 3rd May having completed my 300km sponsored cycle ride for Scope. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The cycling was very tough and nothing could have prepared me for the mountains – there is no flat in Brazil, just big hills to climb and bumpy tracks and cobbled streets to cautiously descend! The weather was not always kind to us either. We did have some sunshine but we also cycled through tropical rain on several days, which made some routes quite treacherous.

There is a lot of poverty in Brazil, but the people are very friendly and welcoming and greeted us warmly as we cycled through the mountain villages. The scenery is breathtaking along with the sounds and smells that you experience whilst cycling. I feel very privileged to have been able to see the country and meet the people in a way that you would never do as a tourist.

The grand finale of the trip was in Rio de Janeiro, cycling along the edge of Ipanema beach and ending finally on Copacabana beach for medal presentations. It was a real team effort, we had worked as a group to help each other through the tough times - the feeling of achievement was amazing!

It was a well organised trip and we had a very professional back up team of mechanics, guides and a doctor, as well as the Scope organisers. There were 52 people that took part in the trip and between us we raised over £168,000 profit for Scope and a further £18,000 for Ingfield Manor School’s computer project.

My personal fundraising total has now exceeded £5,000 and so I am delighted. I would like to say a very big THANK YOU TO EVERYONE that has helped me over the last year with my fundraising and training, I have been astounded by the generosity and support of so many people – it has been a truly memorable time!

Best Wishes

Cathy Bushe X

On 23rd April 2005 I will embark on an epic 10 day fundraising challenge.

I will be cycling
approximately 300km from Ouro Preto to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. I am doing this on behalf of the charity Scope for people with cerebral palsy.

I have worked for Scope for 14 years as a Paediatric Physiotherapist at Ingfield Manor School in Five Oaks, West Sussex. This is a school that offers Conductive Education to children up to the age of eleven. During my time there, I have seen the great benefits offered to children and their families by Scope. I feel that this trip is something that I can do to help raise awareness of the charity and its work and also to raise valuable funds.

Thanks to the generosity and support of many local people, I have so far raised over £3,000. From this money, £2,600 will go to support the work of Scope in general and any money raised over this amount will go directly to Ingfield Manor School, for their Computer Project.

I would like to thank all the people that have supported me so far, in particular the Brockham Craft Group for the donation of £300 from the sale of their goods, and The Scallywag Club for the donation of £150 from their Christmas raffle.

I will be holding one final fundraising event before I go, which promises to be a great night:-

Hollywood Oscars Theme Party
At:- Dorking Rugby Club
On:- Friday 15th April 2005 - 8pm
Featuring Fantastic Live Band:- MacStrappe
Admission by ticket:- £10

If you would like tickets for the party or if you feel able to support me by means of sponsorship or donation of prizes for raffles, please myself or Andrew.

Thank you so much for your help.

Cathy

Bond Night for Scope

On 23rd April 2005 I will embark on an epic 10 day fundraising challenge.

I will be cycling approximately 300km from Ouro Preto to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. I am doing this on behalf of the charity Scope for people with cerebral palsy.

Every six hours a child is born with cerebral palsy. It can happen to any child. Scope is the largest charity in the UK working with people with cerebral palsy and their families and carers.

As a Paediatric Physiotherapist at Ingfield Manor School in Five Oaks, West Sussex, I have worked for Scope for 13 years. This is a school that offers Conductive Education to children up to the age of eleven. During my time there, I have seen the great benefits offered to children and their families by Scope. I feel that this trip is something that I personally can do to help raise awareness of the charity and its work and also to raise valuable funds.

For me personally this is a triple challenge. The cycling is the first of my challenges, which I have begun training for with regular cycle rides and by joining Dorking Gym. I took part in the London to Brighton Cycle ride in 2003 and so I am fairly confident that I will be able to cycle the distance. The second challenge for me will be leaving my family and 5 year old daughter Sophie for the duration of the trip (something I have never done before)! The final challenge is to achieve my fundraising target of at least £2,600!

I will be holding fundraising events during the coming months but I need to reach my target of £2,600. This target money will go to support the work of Scope generally and any money that I raise over this will go to Ingfield Manor School for their Computer Project.

I would be grateful for any help that you are able to give by means of sponsorship or donations of prizes for raffles. If you feel you can help in any way please contact me.

Thank you so much for your help

Cathy Bushe

Tel: 01737 843133

Email: cathy@bushe.fsnet.co.uk

September 2004