More Good News!

March 2009

We welcome Isle of Wight Motorcycles on board as an official sponsor. Run by Mike Attrill, who has a long and successful association with motorcycle sport, and is an ex-British National Classic champion (campaigning his Italian Aermacchis with great success) Isle of Wight Motor Cycles have been established for over 30 years and are the main Island agent for Suzuki, Piaggio, Vespa & Gilera Motorcycles and Scooters. (No prizes for guessing where the Bandit came from.) See the sponsors' panel on the right for more details.

Bad News - Good News!

March 2009

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster for trip planning over the last few weeks. An apparently minor mishap has left Steve with a broken leg and no bike and that left Phil with the prospect of going it alone.

However Mat Rumsey and his Yamaha Fazer 1000 have stepped into the breach and volunteered to take Steve's place. Well done Mat! With the prospect of Steve being fit enough to follow along on 4 wheels in a support capacity, playing his Russ to Phil and Mat's Ewan and Charlie, the logisitics are now looking in even better shape.

For all the messy details, see Phil's Blog

Press Release - Police officer takes the 'long way round' to raise awareness of life-limiting disease

By Duncan Smith - 11th January 2009

A police officer is drawing inspiration from the TV exploits of movie star Ewan McGregor for a challenging journey in support of a cause close to his heart. Sergeant Phil Smith, who lives and works on the Isle of Wight, is preparing to ride his motorcycle around Britain in May to raise money for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice and the Motor Neurone Disease Association on the island.

Last year, at the age of 50, Sergeant Smith’s wife and mother-of-two, Bessie, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, a condition that attacks cells in the body, causing weakness and wasting of muscles, increasing loss of mobility in the limbs, and difficulties with speech, swallowing, and breathing. There is no known cure for the condition, although medication can be prescribed to slow down its effects. Bessie remains strong physically with no weakness in her limbs at the moment, but she has had to give up work as a nurse, and stop driving. The onset of the disease has altered her personality and behaviour.

Phil said: “The situation has changed my perspective on life. You think ‘why us?’ There is a sense of disbelief and you feel alone. It’s difficult dealing with my wife’s behaviour as a result of her condition. It means she is unable to organise herself in a way many of us would take for granted. It can be like having another child in the family because she is not able to understand and respond.”

Bessie receives day care and physiotherapy twice a week at the Earl Mountbatten Hospice in Newport on the Isle of Wight where there are dedicated facilities and expert staff. The Isle of Wight branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association has supplied specialist equipment worth thousands of pounds for Bessie to use at home, including a lightwriter communication aid.

Phil said: “I felt needed to do something in return to recognise the invaluable service provided by the Association and Hospice staff. They are making day-to-day life better for Bessie.

The idea to ride motorcycles across Britain was inspired by the TV show ‘Long Way Down’ starring Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, who travelled on their bikes from Scotland to South Africa. Sergeant Smith and friend Steve Olding will be riding up 1,500 miles across the country through locations connected with the life of former Island governor Lord Louis Mountbatten whose memory prompted an appeal to open the Isle of Wight Earl Mountbatten Hospice in 1982.

Phil added: “It takes an immense amount of mental stamina and concentration to ride a motorcycle over long distances on a range of road surfaces in varying conditions. I hope completing this challenge can give more people renewed strength to continue raising awareness of motor neurone disease, and money for research into the exact causes.”

Nearly £240 was raised at the Isle of Wight OCU Christmas ball, and you can find out about more about Sergeant Smith’s challenge, and how to support him, by going online to www.justgiving.com/mountbattenmnd