As many of you likely know by now, Cynthia had a fairly nasty spill while riding dirt roads in the company of some Dutch riders in Argentina on Friday 8th April 2005. This has resulted in four broken ribs, a broken collar bone, a punctured lung and a badly damaged bike - Cynthia appears to be on the mend but the condition of the bike is fairly unknown at this stage. It may be that the bike is unrecoverable or it may be that it is repairable so that the trip can continue but although Cynthia is a fair hand with the spanners, even if it's repairable, it's likely to be more than she has the skills to cope with. Reg Moule, who is retired and has the time and skills, has offered to fly out for a couple of weeks if necessary to help put it back together if that's an option (it's likely to be a couple of weeks or so until Cynthia is well enough to properly assess the situation) but as always, funds are an issue and Reg can't afford the fares. Assuming that the bike is recoverable, Reg's offer is likely to be the favourite option IF the funds can be raised.

As a number of folks have already talked of making a contribution if required, I've decided to ask for your pledge to help finance Reg's trip over to Argentina should it be the way to go - I guess a flight, basic accommodation etc etc is likely to eat into £1,000. There is no reason whatsoever why you should feel obliged to contribute but if like me, you're enjoying following the trip maybe, just maybe, you feel like making a small contribution to be able to continue doing so.

At this time, pledges only are required as it's likely to be a few weeks before the practicality of the situation is known - if it's not practical to resuscitate the bike then your pledge is unlikely to be redeemed but if the project looks practical then the promised funds would be required fairly quickly. Current pledges are listed below.

As of tonight, Tuesday 12th April, it's beginning to look likely that the bike is repairable and that it will be practical to send Reg out to Chile to give Cynth a hand repairing it - this would mean that you may be asked to redeem your pledges soon. I must offer a personal thanks to all who have pledged money and am absolutely staggered at the generosity of all you good folk out there. I had figured that £1,000 would pay for Reg's flight plus very basic expenses etc at a push but the additional funds offered will also allow for shipping of some of the major parts that may be required. Almost £1,500 promised in less than 48 hours shows what a great bunch motorcyclists are and must be a great boost to Cynthia's morale right now to know that so many of you care.

Looking at the new photos, it looks like the headstock is well twisted - as used G/S frames are difficult to find does anyone out there have one that they care to donate or sell????? If you have, then please mail me from the pledge link.

OK folks, it looks like it's going to happen!! We're still working on sorting a frame, forks and front wheel but if need be we do have ones we can borrow but if you have any of these items to sell PLEASE mail me now. Other stuff should be simple enough to source provided we can figure what is needed from the photos and Cynthia's descriptions. This now means that I'm asking you to redeem those pledges you made (painful I know but .......). I'll be individually mailing all those who pledged with instructions - if you sent a pledge and don't get a mail by Friday, please mail me and let me know. The idea for your donations was not to pay for the repairs but to get someone out to give Cynth the assistance she will need and that is still the case, however, as you've all been so generous I plan to use some of the funds to pay for the shipping of the heavy/large items such as frame, wheels, forks etc (this won't be cheap and I'd guess £400/£500). The rest should cover the cost of Reg's flight and some basic accommodation etc. I have no practical way to deal with these funds in a manner that will make each penny accounted for but many of you know both myself and Reg and hopefully will trust us not to abuse your trust so what I plan to do is pay for the shipping of the heavy stuff and then pass the rest to Reg to pay for flights etc and let him use any remainder as he sees fit ( and maybe allow him to take Cynth out for a meal on all of us).

If all goes well, Reg is likely to fly out mid May and hopefully all parts will be waiting for him - Cynth will be getting impatient by then and I'm sure will have him regretting volunteering for this mission.

28th June 2005

After finalising all of Reg's expenses for the trip, there is a total of £407 left over and rather than donating it to Cynthia, she has asked the following:

"Although everyone who contributed to my rescue fund seemed happy for the balance remaining after Reg´s foray to Darkest Patagonia to help towards the new parts I needed, I´ve asked that instead it be donated to the NABD.

For the non-bikers amongst you, this is the National Association for Bikers with a Disability; a charity which provides technical and financial assistance to riders with disabilities in order to make appropriate modifications to their bikes so they can still ride. I very nearly needed their assistance myself".

I will be sending them a cheque for the remainder in the next day or two.

If you wish to pledge an amount to go towards flying Reg out to help Cynth put the bike back together please use the link below.

Appeal Closed