Jackie Turley’s LEJOG for Samaritans Isle of Man

In September, I will be cycling the 961 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats over 13 days in support of the Isle of Man branch of the Samaritans.

I've chosen this charity in memory of my oldest brother Richard, who turned to the Samaritans for support after being diagnosed with cancer.

We discovered after Richard died in 2003 that he had been making regular donations to the charity's Isle of Man branch. As a family we’re grateful that the charity was able to support him through such a difficult time.

He would have given me a lot of grief for even thinking of doing it…but would have been secretly quite proud of what a Turley could achieve!

I'll be cycling with two close friends friends, Liz Jones and Chris Harris, who are also fundraising for a charity close to their hearts.

We will be setting off from Land's End on September 4 and will be cycling about 70 miles a day to reach journey's end at Scotland's most northerly point on September 16.

Along the route we'll be calling on the hospitality of friends and family members to put us up for the night where possible, and staying at B&Bs and hostels elsewhere.

My mum Jean, Liz's mum Jane and Chris's dad Kevin have very kindly agreed to take on the unenviable task of support driver.

To keep up to date with our progress follow our blog www.lejog2016.org.uk