Some of you may know that myself and SACA help to organise the annual Birmingham to London Charity.
Here is an update of what happened on Sunday 27th Jan 2008…

Much loved actor and current King of the Jungle Christopher Biggins took time out of his busy schedule to meet fundraisers, including 96 year old Fauja Singh, after they completed the annual Birmingham to London bike ride in aid of CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA.

The presentation took place on Sunday 27 January at the Wyke Green Golf Club, Isleworth, where the star was presented with a cheque for £25,368.44 from SACA, the organisers behind the event.

SACA also took the opportunity to announce that, further to the success of last year’s event, they have nominated CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA to be the beneficiary of the event for a second year running.  Deputy CEO of CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA Peter Reynolds said “We are honoured to be the nominated charity for a second year. It is a privilege to be associated with SACA again and we look forward to another successful event”.

Over 250 cyclists covered over 130 miles in July last year, enduring unseasonably adverse weather conditions throughout. Fauja Singh (aged 96), who currently holds eight different UK, European and world running records in the men over 90 age category, ran in a relay, with a team of ten other runners, along the same route as the cyclists, to show their support for the riders

Biggins beat eleven celebrities to be crowned King of the Jungle in November last year, on ITV’s Primetime show ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’. Talking from the event he said “Well the bush tucker trials really pale into insignificance compared to the lengths these wonderful supporters have gone to in order to raise vital funds for a wonderful cause.  The money raised will be used to fight the UK’s most common childhood cancer and is much needed, so all I can say is a huge thank you”.

Esther Lay, from SACA said “We’re delighting to able to donate £25,000 to such a worthy cause.  I would like to thank each and every rider, whose dedication and support has resulted in a fantastic contribution to CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA and look forward to working with them again in 2008”.

The Annual Birmingham to London Charity Bike Ride is one of the most challenging rides organized in the UK.  The event has been held each year since 1989, when a group of 14 aspiring youths decided to establish a challenge that could help both local and national children’s charities. They considered a number of sporting events that would test both their determination and personal fitness. They also considered the key element of working as a team and supporting each other.

Each year SACA choose a children’s charity to benefit from the event.  CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA is the sole beneficiary of the 2007 event.  To date the ride has raised over £135,000 for children’s charities.

CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA is Britain’s leading national charity dedicated exclusively to the conquest of childhood leukaemia through pioneering research, new treatment and support of leukaemic children and their families.

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Hot off the Press…
The new Birmingham to London Cycle ride advert is here for you to preview…!

Listen to the audio advert too by clicking on the play button below:

Lots more information at:  http://www.charitybikeride.com  

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In the High street near my office a new Tatto parlour has opened up. I must first say that I am anti this form of self decorative activity from both a moral and health perspective.

What was surprising was that not only have a noticed an increase in this type of shop but I was also astounded by the seated queue inside the shop.

The expression, ‘BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP’ came to mind The proverb has been traced back to ‘A Wife’ (c.1613) by Thomas Overbury (1581-1613).” From the “Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings” by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).- “What you don’t see is hidden under the skin and it may be more important than physical beauty.

Another related expression is, BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER - This proverb appear to have come from the English dramatist John Lyly, who wrote in ‘Euphues in England’ (1580).

We may spend time on our physical being but how much do we dedicate to our inner beauty or spiritual existence?

Interestingly, after researching this area I discovered that some Health coaches suggest that fitness training alone is not enough, people need to also de-stress. I’m not suggesting that becoming spiritual is just another tick box. One fitness piece of advice suggested that everyone has 4 basic health needs:  Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual.

Emotional development is an interesting area, especially in the context of respecting each other and ensuring that we do not degrade others. Bad mouthing never helped anyone.
Statistics have shown that people who have strong religious beliefs and convictions are less likely to have health problems in the other 3 facets of their health.  In addition, it has been suggested that commitment to prayer is helpful and can fight off potential illness and depression.

As I said before, becoming spiritual should not be seen as an add-on or a simple health supplement. We cannot and should not perform any tests on our religious beliefs – It does not work like that. I remember a few years ago a BBC documentary divided a group of patients and families up into two groups. One group prayed for the wellbeing of their patients and the other did not. You cannot test God !

Commitment to prayer and meditation has the potential to make us a better physical person but also remembering God. Our existence in this world is really only temporary, therefore we should aim to be fair to each other.
Hey! We leave it all behind anyway, only our soul is what we need to value and enrich.

The aim should be to merge with God through the guidelines given to us.

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A couple of parallel thoughts this week.

1. A couple of week’s back I attended the annual charity evening for those that have completed the annual Birmingham to London Cycle ride, held every July and organised by the Sikh Arts and Cultural Association. This year �15,000 was raised for Whizz Kids, a national charity that helps disabled children.

2. With this week being reduce wastage week. I also thought about how important it is to respect our environment - For example, often school runs and short trips are performed by car. Although one could argue that the road network makes it increasingly difficult to walk, run or cycle, the path to change has to come from us alone.

Apart from the environmental benefits, there is an enormous health benefit too. Getting on your bike regularly not only gets you where you want to go faster than a car, it is good for your heart and health.

Cycling everyday is an effective and enjoyable form of aerobic exercise. This is the type of exercise that is most effective at promoting good health. For example, cycling reduces the risk of serious conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and the most common form of diabetes.

One rough calculation suggests that new cyclists covering short distances can reduce their risk of death (mainly due to the reduction of heart disease) by as much as 22 per cent. Cycling can be part of a programme to lose weight because it burns the energy supplied by a chocolate bar in an hour (about 300 calories). A 15-minute bike ride to and from work five times a week burns off the equivalent of 11 pounds of fat in a year. That kind of cycling pattern also meets the Government’s latest target on exercise: that we should take part in some mild to moderate physical activity … five times a week*.

Cycling can have positive effects on how we feel too. Moderate exercise has been found to reduce levels of depression and stress, improve mood and raise self-esteem, and has also been found to relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

*NB Always consult your Doctor, before you start any form of exercise regime, especially if you are not performed any exercise or physical activity for a while.

How cycling improves fitness
A study carried out for the Department of Transport found that ‘even a small amount of cycling can lead to significant gains in fitness’. The study found that aerobic fitness was boosted by 11 per cent after just six weeks of cycling ’short distances’ four times a week. According to the study people who do not exercise who start cycling move from the third of the population who are the least fit, to the fittest half of the population in just a few months.

Who can cycle?
There are no real age barriers to cycling, and people of most fitness levels can cycle, slowly and gently if necessary. Anyone with heart disease or other conditions affecting their activity should, of course, consult their doctor before starting any exercise programme. Those of all body shapes and all but the most extreme body weights can ride a bike.

Getting Started
Most cyclists are ‘utility’ cyclists where the bike is a way of getting from A to B, and getting some exercise is an added bonus. Nearly three-quarters of journeys people make are of five miles or less, and these could be achievedby most people.

Further information.

There are some great resources to read-up on cycling:

Cycle Touring Club www.ctc.org.uk
London Cycling Campaign www.lcc.org.uk

Now is also the right time to start thinking about the annual Birmingham to London cycle ride organised by the Sikh Art and Cultural Association. Run over 2 days during the 3rd weekend of July, you can work towards completing your centennial mile on the first day and finish the final 40 on the second. Every year over 240 riders take part and The Sikh Times also wonderfully sponsor the event too. Visit: www.charitybikeride.com

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