Today is Father’s Day in the UK and as I was riding my bike earlier I was thinking about a stat I read some time ago that indicates (if my memory is correct) that an increasing number of babies born in London, will never meet their Dad – the figure of 10% I seem to remember. That’s a sad reflection on our society. My own father died after a battle with oesophageal and then liver cancer in 1985 when I as 18. I remember how well he was nursed at home by a Marie Curie Nurse. This was a great comfort to my mother. My brother was only 14. My mother has lived without him for 29 years. I am grateful to have had a Dad for those 18 years and thankful for the examples he gave me around home, family, work ethic…

Today is a day when many of us remember and give thanks for our Dads. This year several of my friends have lost their Dad to cancer. One close colleague and friend has lost her husband to cancer, leaving behind two young children. Today I think particularly of those people who are grieving or acutely experiencing their loss. When I think of those mothers however, I know how good their Dads have been because they either tell us on Facebook or in my colleagues case, I also knew her husband and he was a great man and a fantastic father.

There are many twists and turns in life – all we can do is our best and I look back to times when I could have been a better father and I also remember times when I feel I’ve done ok. Because life can turn on a sixpence, we should keep looking to set a good example to our children and I can think of friends who set a fantastic example. One person who I can’t call a friend because we have never met is the BBC 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell – I admire a number of things about Nicky from a distance. Two of these are the pride with which he tweets about his girls and secondly his love for his parents, who adopted him and I can tell from listening to him that they have influenced him in many positive ways. One of my closest friends is another shining example of a father who adopted with his wife, three young siblings and has selflessly cared for them and set an example of the highest quality.

So back to my training and this week I have run 24 miles on the Torbay coastline and cycled 170 including 90 this morning. This day three weeks and I’ll have completed the Stage 1 Tour de France for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Three more weeks of training should have me ready. I hope anyone reading this will consider going to http://www.justgiving.com/bobjbrownMCCC and sponsoring me on my 5000x£5 challenge. Thank you to friends and colleagues who took the time to sponsor me this week.

I’d like to say thank you to Alastair, owner of Cycleology in Armagh, for agreeing to sponsor me with cycle bib shorts and a top, as well as kindly offering to maintain my bike over the next year. Alastair lost his own father to cancer – he was nursed at home by a Marie Curie Nurse. So on this Father’s Day 2014 my thoughts are with Alastair and a number of other friends for whom today has a different meaning as they look back to their memories.

For me today is a good one – I’m pleased to be going to the seaside at Warrenpoint for fish and chips with G and K :0