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Premier Pedalling for Charity

Premier's financial director Ralph Brazier is entering the final days of training before undertaking a challenging 500km charity cycle ride across Kenya, which will raise money for two charities. Ralph has already surpassed his target of raising £2,500 for Computer Aid International to supply a Kenyan school with a much-needed computer lab. Friends, colleagues and associates have pledged £3,600 to date. So now he's raising money for the Children With Special Needs Foundation, based in Surrey.

Set to start in February 2007, the gruelling endeavour will last 10 days and involve five days of cycling at high altitudes and over dirt tracks, requiring peak physical and mental fitness.

Computer Aid International is a UK-based, non-profit making charity that refurbishes obsolete machines, mostly donated by companies, and sends them to schools and non-profit-making organisations in developing countries. It works in partnership with local people to ensure that communities in need use all of its computers effectively.

Latest World Bank research shows that there are five or less computers per 1,000 people in the vast majority of Sub-Saharan African countries. Helping to equip these nations with IT resources will ensure their companies can compete for professional jobs and the overall economies can be fairly represented in the world markets. An added bonus for the UK is that recycling old computers saves on landfill.

The Children With Special Needs Foundation was established in 1995 with a sole purpose to help children with special needs in the Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire region. Special Needs can be defined in many ways - to us it is simply a child that needs help or a group of children that need help. It can be a child with a terminal illness or a child with a special talent that needs help.

Ralph Brazier commented; "The day is not far off now and my training regime has intensified to make sure I am fit to complete the challenge and make sure I have no excess weight to carry up the slopes of Mount Kenya!"

To support Ralph with sponsorship, the best way is to donate online at www.justgiving.com/kenyacycle and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% will be added to your gift at no cost to you. Alternatively, you can post a donation made out to Children with Special Needs Founcation, c/o Ralph Brazier, Premier House, 1 Minster Court, Tuscam Way, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 3YY.

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