Sorry, Mate I didn’t See you

You’ve all seen those videos showing people playing basketball, so you know how it’s easy to miss something when you’re looking for something else. But none of this explains how I manage to cycle right past this chap, as I was looking out for him at the time. He was wearing a hi-vis vest, had a robin-shaped RSPB collecting box stuck on the front of his bike, and an albatross hanging off the back, so naturally I didn’t give him a second glance. Fortunately he had spotted me, being a little more observant, and we managed to make contact.

If you haven’t followed the link before, Gary is cycling round Britain visiting every RSPB and WWT reserve in the country, to raise money for the WWT, RSPB and Asthma UK. Way back in January I contacted him and offered him a bed for the night* should he make it as far as here. Today, six months later, despite snow, injuries and an eternal headwind (which appears to follow him round – and I thought the weather gods were down on me) he arrived having slipped not a day from his original schedule. As someone who used to work in IT I found that the most impressive – and unbelievable – part of the whole venture. And that’s after he found a spotted flycatcher nest which it took me about five goes before I spotted it.

If you only sponsor one person doing one thing this year, you should consider sponsoring Gary. Or failing that, snap him up for a job in project management as he’s clearly got the sort of scheduling skills most people can only dream of.

* I only mentioned this to the other half after I’d made the offer. ‘So basically, you’ve found the maddest person on the internet and invited them to stay,’ he said. ‘Well yes, but mad in a good way…’

Three in One

In an effort not to mention the continued s***, sorry, extremely fluffy rain, I bring you news of someone who’s managed to combine three of my current obsessions, birds, bikes and climate change* in one package. If your New Year resolution was something along the lines of getting more exercise or drinking less, prepare to hang your head in shame – Gary Prescott’s goal for this year is to visit all of the RSPB and WWT reserves in the UK by bike, raise money for charity, raise awareness of climate change, and break the UK non-motorised Year List record** in one fell swoop.

You can follow Gary’s progress on his blog, and donate to either the RSPB, or WWT through JustGiving. He’ll be round our way come July, by which time, with any luck, the worst of the ice should be gone from the roads

*There’s no news of whether he also knits, but nobody’s perfect.

**If you have to ask, this book will tell you. Ahem. Plug over.