Corporal Andy Nicholson is one of our Cyberspace Technicians stationed at Remote Radar Head Portreath, but in his spare time he volunteers for a baby loss charity that is very close to his heart called Saying Goodbye. Andy got involved after the charity helped his family through the loss of a baby in 2011.
Over the last 3 years Andy has assisted in raising funds for this very worthy cause by promoting and assisting with the organisation of the charity's annual ball, attended by 300 guests and hosted by Sally Phillips. Prior to the event, he and his wife contact numerous suppliers for auction prize donations and goodies. On the day before the event he and his family travel to London and assist with the setup of the ballroom, filling goody bags, etc. On the day of the ball, they assist with the running, entertaining the guests and charity auction. This event serves to raise much needed funds for the charity, as well as media exposure.
Andy now also volunteers as the charity's Sports Events manager, liaising with event organisers and volunteers then attending some of the events to represent the charity. Putting his best foot forward he ran the Classic Quarter Ultra Marathon in June 2019. A gruelling 44 mile race from Lizard point to Lands end in Cornwall, raising £700 for his charity.
In addition to his day job and charity work, Andy is a keen cyclist and started cycling in 2009 whilst based at PJHQ, initially just to commute into work but then taking it further on weekends for leisure and fitness. He entered into a few smaller Sportives and charity rides, then the 100KM Nightrider event around London raising money for RAFA.
Andy was then posted to Cyprus and that’s when he really started to take it more seriously with challenging routes and quieter roads. He organised AT for 8 squadron personnel, cycling from Akrotiri to Nafplio in the south of Greece (via Athens), did a Half Marathon then cycled back with a total distance in the saddle of around 500km with the 21.1km run in the middle.
His most challenging ride was the 0-2000, riding from sea level in Limassol to Mount Olympus. The climbs were relentless and coupled with the June heat, this made for an arduous ride. In his infinite wisdom, he decided to cycle all the way back to RAF Akrotiri instead of taking the transport which proved to be an error of judgement!
For more information about becoming a Cyberspace Technician you can visit the RAF Recruitment Website at the following link:
#NationalBikeWeek #BMELW #InspireEnergizeEmpower #NoOrdinaryJob #VolunteersWeek
