Chichester cycling trio pledge to ride to Paris and back in aid of Duchenne UK

Pictured (left to right) are: Jeremy Sharland, Ian Playford, and Paul Butler

Ian Playford, Jeremy Sharland and Paul Butler are taking on the epic 24-hour Duchenne Dash in aid of Duchenne UK, which helps fund treatment for a devastating muscle-wasting disease affecting young children.

The riders have set themselves an ambitious fundraising target of £16,000 for the London to Paris ride – but Ian, Jeremy and Paul have committed to making it a return trip if they can raise an additional £8,000 to take their total to £24,000.

They will set off on May 12 from Herne Hill Velodrome in South-East London to Newhaven, cross the Channel by ferry and then get back in the saddle to cycle from Dieppe to the finish line at the Eiffel Tower.

If they raise enough to meet their higher target, they will set off again and finish the return leg at the Kingsbridge Estates office in Tangmere, near Chichester.

This will be the fourth trip for Ian, Chairman at Kingsbridge Estates, who lives in Tunbridge Wells, West Sussex, and last year raised £8,000.Chief Financial Officer Paul, of Chichester, West Sussex, and Development Director Jeremy, of West Horsley in Surrey, are taking it on for the first time.

Paul said: “We’re all very keen cyclists but the ride is a huge challenge for anyone – and the return trip will be a real stretch. Ian used his powers of persuasion to talk Jez and I into doing it and Jez, with a little glint in his eye, then suggested the return trip if we raised enough.

“I think Ian might be wishing he hadn’t asked us now! But we are all raring to go and training to reach our ambitious target for a very good cause.”Riders in the event pay for all their own travel and expenses, so every penny raised goes to help children and families affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

There is currently no cure for DMD, which affects mostly boys and causes all the muscles in the body, including the heart and lungs, to gradually weaken.It is a devastating condition but the number of children who are diagnosed with it is relatively small, and so the research and clinical trials to find treatments are carried out through the charity, set up by mothers of affected children 10 years ago.To support Ian, Jeremy and Paul visit justgiving.com/fundraising/kingsbridgeestatesteam

Find out more about Duchenne UK at duchenneuk.org