At a quarter to midnight on June 8, Richard Littledale, 48, the minister at Teddington Baptist Church in Middlesex, will set off from one of London's highest points, at Crystal Palace, to ride 100km through the city of London to Alexandra Palace - and back again.

Richard, who admits that he rarely cycles more than 20km at a time, will be undertaking the Nightrider challenge in aid of Princess Alice Hospice.

The way the hospice looked after a beloved church member left a distinct impression.

'I chose to support Princess Alice Hospice having seen the amazing work that goes on there and the way that the team is willing to go that little bit extra for their patients,' he explained.
'Last year, a beloved member of my church spent the last few weeks of his life in Princess Alice Hospice.

'During that time every member of staff, from the people who cleaned the ward to the staff who administered his medicines, to the chaplain, treated him and his family with the utmost warmth, humanity, dignity and compassion.

'True to its roots in an ancient understanding of hospitality, the team made this last lap of the journey more bearable by every means at their disposal.'
The stay included an emotional service at the hospice. The member had been a singer and worship leader in the church, and was missing services terribly, Richard said. With the chaplain's help, they brought the service to him.

'As pastor, I had planned an order of service, which was promptly abandoned in favour of something altogether more wonderful.

'From his bed, despite his weakness, our friend conducted the singing, urged us to pray, spoke of the sun setting on his time here, and urged the rest of us to make the most of ours.

'We laughed, we cried, we prayed, and above all we sang - our voices tumbling out of the wide open windows into the lovely summer's day beyond. This was worship, and I shall never forget it. I shall carry the sound of it in my head as I pedal - and for years after that too.'

With his popular blog and large Twitter following, Richard has once again draw together a host of people willing to help the cause. This includes free design of a logo by Jason Ramsami at www.saamvisual.com, Mark Archer from www.imperialprinters.co.uk printing his fundraising business cards for free and further free printing on his cycling jacket offered by Den at www.mugs4u.com in Anglesey.

The collaboration echoes that of Littlest Star, the Christmas story Richard penned in 2011 which was published in a matter of weeks thanks to creative collaborations and support online, particularly Twitter, which celebrated its seventh birthday on Thursday. He describes it as 'the common currency of goodness which drives the social network.'

'When a social network such as Twitter allows good to be done - everybody gains - individuals businesses and charities. As I discovered with the Littlest Star, the possibilities for creative collaboration in a worthy cause are many and various.'

If you would like to support the Hospice and sponsor the Richard, visit www.justgiving.com/Richard-Littledale or text RLGO86 £5 to 70070
Follow on Twitter via #richard100 and @richardlittleda

Visit Princess Alice Hospice at www.pah.org.uk