Tom Alker's Century Challenge 7th July 2018

This summer Tom Alker has set himself the challenge of riding 100 miles as a fundraising event in memory of his sister Emily. Emily's Forever Fund is emily-alker.muchloved.com which gives details of what happened to Emily; Tom's fundraiser is in the 'Fundraising in memory of Emily' section.

For any cyclist to complete a 'century' is a big deal and Tom has been planning and training for his attempt since last year. UCLAN arena have kindly allowed Tom to use the cycling circuit for his event which will take place on 7th July at 10:30am, which will immediately follow  a Red Rose Olympic coaching session, and he has until 5:30pm on the day to complete his 100 laps. We are hoping to be able to support Tom in his efforts and it would be great to see as many Red Rose jerseys as possible on the day and give him the 'Chapeau!' he deserves when he crosses the line.

Tom and his family want to make sure that the message about Meningitis is spread as far as possible and they have provided the following information to raise awareness.

Meningitis is a devastating disease which often starts with a bad headache or flu-like symptoms, therefore there is often seen to be no cause for concern. There is often no rash at any point. However the patient can deteriorate quickly and meningitis can take a life in a few hours. Fortunately it is quite rare but cases are on the increase. 

There is a vaccination available for strains A, C, W  and Y called MenACWY. This was introduced into the school vaccination programme in 2015.  It is available free of charge from GPs up to the age of 25.

There is also a vaccination available for Meningitis B, but this is only available privately.  

Awareness is low so please spread the word. 

Teenagers are particularly at risk as they gather together at university, festivals and on holiday and share drinks, kiss etc.

For more information please go to the Meningitis Now website.. Meningitisnow.org

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