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 I have decided to try and help some of the poorer people I used to work with in Bihar!


Way back in 1994 I wanted to raise some money to find, and give treatment to, people suffering from leprosy. I decided to cycle the length of the river Ganges ( 3000km) and donate the money raised from friends and neighbours in my village, at my place of work and at my church. I had to learn to ride a bike with gears and several kilograms of luggage. I studied maps and practicing cycling up hills. My ride began on October 4th at Gangotri but first I had to walk to the actual start of the Ganga as it came out of the bottom of a glacier 4000metres up in the Himalayas. The ride ended at Ganga Sagar, where the Ganges meets the ocean, and  took me 12 weeks. 

 On the way I stopped at a leprosy treatment centre in Bihar for a week, went out to visit patients and learned about the treatment that completely cures a person of leprosy. I gave all the money donated to me to LEPRA, a British NGO, for the treatment of patients in India, £15000!  In 1997 when I retired I went back to that leprosy centre and worked there, for 3 years before moving to other centres in Bijnor, Najibabad, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa. I was a qualified physiotherapy technician specialising in the prevention of deformity in leprosy. I became known at one place as 'the English doctor' and all sorts of illnesses were presented to me after work and in the early morning!

 Now I am going to try to raise money to buy oxygen bottles, masks and soap for the poorest people in Bihar. My colleague Rajni is Lepra's head in Bihar and he lives in a village in Bihar, when he is not in his office in Patna, organising the delivery of leprosy and other medicines at clinics in 8 other districts of Bihar. Rajni is trustworthy and he will find the poorer people who need help. I have decided to cycle every day from my house and I have already started towards my target of 2000 miles (3218km). I started on Monday 10th May with 10 miles, (16km) . I want to get up to 25km a day by the end of this week. I think it will take me three or four months to cycle 3000km. I'm 84 now and not so fast!
I have sent money for one bottle of oxygen, 20000rp black money, and also asked Rajni to get 500 masks made for the poorest village women where he lives and buy soap for them. 

I hope and pray that  UK people that I know, my relations and friends will  give me money for doing this new long cycle ride.

Please pray for my health, my safety and my success in helping  Covid sufferers in a small corner of Bihar.


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