A fitting tribute to a life well lived albeit one that was much too short.
Bravo,Neil
A Message from Neil
My wonderful wife Linda finally lost her long fight against cancer on June 23rd 2007. Soon after her Thanksgiving Service I spent four days walking the coastal foorpath from St Ives to Penzance. I needed time on my own to start to come to terms with Linda’s death, and it was on this walk that the idea for the Ride-Stride-Glide started to form in my mind.
Throughout our 32 years of happy marriage we had always enjoyed walking, and in the last two years we had taken up going for rides on a tandem. In 2006 I finally persuaded Linda to try canoeing, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I was however told that if she ever fell into the river this would be grounds for divorce! We made short journeys in both England and Canada. It therefore seemed appropriate that, to raise funds for Sobell House Hospice and Cancer Research UK, I should make a journey, dedicated to Linda, combining walking, cycling, canoeing and sea-kayaking.
Planning this journey is giving my life some kind of purpose and meaning. It is also an opportunity to gain additional skills, make new friends, and to undertake a journey which combines many of the things that I enjoy with raising funds for charity.
I believe that Linda would approve of what I am taking on and I hope that the monies raised will help Cancer Research UK in their work of finding a cure for cancer and Sobell House to continue to offer the care, comfort and support that Linda and the family valued so much in her final days.
I would be very grateful for any help that you can give me in publicising this blog and the event and obviously by making a donation on my Justgiving site.
Thank you for your support.
Neil
Responses
By: Marilyn Girouard(Pike) on December 13, 2007
at 2:19 pm
You are quite right in thinking Linda would support your adventure and the aim to raise money for research and I am sure she would have made you a cake to take with you. I shall honour her cooking skills by making you at least one cake.
By: liz wilson on January 11, 2008
at 9:33 pm
Liz, Many thanks I will look forward to enjoying it.
By: neiljordan on January 12, 2008
at 9:24 pm
Neil, I’m so impressed. That’s going to be quite some expedition. Linda would be proud of you. Sorry it’s taken me ages to get in touch: you may want to know that on your Christmas card it said “ridestrideglide/wordpress” and not .wordpress. I wonder if that may have affected others as well as me who couldn’t reach you at first. I think that a lot of your Letcombe friends will want to support you. How about putting a notice in the Letcombe Register? Ken Trotter is editor now and it’s being used a lot. I’ll stick a copy through your letterbox.
Hope the training is going well.
By: Vivi McCoubrey on February 6, 2008
at 4:17 pm
Hi Neil
It was really good to meet you and your brother on the Camping & Caravanning Manoeuvring course yesterday.
I just want to say good luck to you on your journey and I hope you raise a lot of money. Good luck to your brother too with towing the ‘van. Remember what you learnt!!
Let us know how you get on.
Andrea
By: Andrea Richardson on April 13, 2008
at 6:57 pm
Neil
Thinking of you, we will be with Jennifer and the family as you start out, having been in Hereford for a week.
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon you face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Our blessings
The Golden Wedding People
By: Brian and Christine on April 21, 2008
at 8:00 pm
Many thanks to everyone for their kind wishes and support which means a great deal to me. Neil
By: neiljordan on April 22, 2008
at 1:17 pm
Neil,
I worked with Linda on and off over the years. She was such a lovely teacher and a really great person to work with. All the best for your fundraising adventure.
Linda
By: linda goddard on May 9, 2008
at 7:55 am
Linda, Many thanks. I think that Linda would have enjoyed the last week here in Scotland. Best wishes Neil
By: neiljordan on May 10, 2008
at 11:26 am
Neil - many thanks for the return of my camera from Ben Nevis - I have left a message in another part of your website and will be making a donation to your fund raising effort. With many thanks and best wishes, john Cleland, Belfast
By: john cleland on May 11, 2008
at 8:29 pm
Following your journey Neil with the greatest interest. What stamina!
keep going … jill R
By: Jill Robinson on May 31, 2008
at 5:48 pm
