I am raising funds & awareness in memory of Annette 'Netty' Collier. 13/12/1970 - 04/06/2023. Netty was a loving and kind mum, daughter, partner and friend and is very sadly missed by us all.
Netty loved life, cherished her family and was always wonderful company. She was in a great place & living her best life. However, in a moment of self-doubt and anxiety she took her own life. We are sure that this was not her intention but rather a fleeting moment of weakness. Sometimes, that’s all it takes - a moment.
She leaves behind Rafe and Rhoda, aged just 16 & 14 at the time, and her mum Mary. The photo is the last photo of the four of them together, taken just two weeks prior at Rafe's school.
So, I'm attempting something extraordinary to raise awareness and funds in her memory.
This is a call for all of us to be vigilant and caring towards our loved ones, acknowledging that while it’s sometimes okay for someone dear not to be okay, to be vigilant. If this message touches your heart and / or reminds you of someone dear, let it be a rallying cry in Netty’s memory to action and make a positive change for yourself or that special person in your thoughts.
I'm raising funds for the wonderful Essex & Herts Air Ambulance https://ehaat.org/ who attended the scene that morning and attempted to revive and resuscitate her in one of their rapid response vehicles.
The EHAAT has running costs of approximately £1,000,000 per month, and flew 2,705 missions in 2023 with each mission costing in the region of £2,800 to fly - burning £280 an hour on fuel alone. Wouldn't it be wonderful, in Netty's memory, to raise enough money for missions to help the next Netty. and the next Hetty. and the next Harry...
So, I'm riding 500 Kilometers - yes you read that right - in one go, outdoors, through the night on the 29th/30th of December this year at the historic Herne Hill Velodrome. That's 1,112 laps of contending with the weather, exhaustion, eating and fuelling, and the sheer mental toughness of keeping going round and round in circles for 20 or more hours on no sleep.
There's more detail on HHV and the lovely charity HHVT that operates the velodrome detailed below, with 50% of the funds raised going to HHVT.
