Sea to Sea for premature Lincolnshire babies

07 May 2008

James Rogerson, a Senior Buyer at Branston, will travel from Whitehaven in Cumbria to Tynemouth near Newcastle, using pedal power alone in an attempt to raise around £1,000 in sponsorship. He will take on the 140 mile C2C (Sea to Sea) route over four days, averaging around 35 miles a day.

James' father-in-law John Nickson, who will be supporting St Barnabas, and his friend Jez Brunyee, who will be donating to Cancer Research, will accompany him on the challenge. The three cyclists will be supported by their wives, which is particularly important to James, who says: "Not having ridden a bike for around ten years, I'm glad that we have a crack team of supporters on hand in case anything goes wrong. I began training in November and I can already see some of the pitfalls of long distance cycling, having fallen into a bog and battled the wind on a four hour bike ride between Heighington and Alford. My first child was born prematurely and I was really overwhelmed by the support we received from the Special Care Baby Unit. With my second child due in June I felt it was the right time to give something back to a charity that has helped make such a difference to me and my family."

Every year hundreds of premature babies are cared for by the Nocton Ward Special Care Baby Unit at Lincoln County Hospital. Funding for specialist equipment to help these babies is desperately needed and James is keen to help as much as he can.    

Anyone wishing to sponsor James can do so by emailing jrogerson@branston.co.uk or sending a cheque made payable to ULH Charitable Fund, with Special Care Baby Unit written on the reverse, to James Rogerson, Branston Ltd, Mere Road, Branston, Lincoln LN4 1NJ.