I am Shelley Kingston, from Colney Heath and on Sunday 20^th June, I undertook a mini endurance challenge in order to raise funds for a charity called Computer Aid International. This charity takes donated PC equipment, refurbishes it and then sends it out to Not-For-Profit organisations across the world, such as schools, hospitals & community centres as a means of helping those in a disadvantaged position to gain the skills that they need to get themselves out of poverty. I became involved with this charity 4 years ago through a PC recycling scheme that I operated as part of my job.

Then in 2008 I headed out to Cuba on the first of my cycle challenges for this charity, cycling 378km in searing heat and raising £4000 in the process. I followed this up in 2009 by cycling 429km across Chile from the Andes to the Pacific in freezing conditions and on some of the worst roads surfaces imaginable – and don’t even get me started on the hills….24km straight uphill on Day 1!! For this trip I again raised approximately £4000 for Computer Aid and whilst in Chile I was fortunate enough to visit a school project that has benefited from their work. Here, I met children that lived in tin sheds in a shanty town, owned next to nothing and had bleak futures ahead of them, yet with the provision of a computer lab, these children suddenly had a future and their enthusiasm for learning and their ability to grasp every opportunity with optimism made for a very humbling experience.

This is why I so strongly believe in the strength of the work of this charity and why, in October 2010 I am heading out to Nepal to cycle approximately 400km around the hills and mountains of Kathmandu. As with all of these cycle challenge events, I have a sponsorship target, which is why on the 20^th June, I peddled away for a solid 5 hours on an exercise bike loaned to me by the Furzefield Centre and Beaumonts Health Club. I covered a total of 65.1 miles during this time and in the process raised £170 in valuable sponsorship so that Computer Aid can continue their good work.

If you would like to read more about my forthcoming challenge and my training and fundraising, please visit: www.justgiving.com/nextstopnepal

Any support and donations are always gratefully received.