This image is of my husband, Angus, near our house shortly before he started his big bike ride end-to-end France – Caen in the North to Nice in the South. This not only involved 870 miles of cycling day after day, but also an average of 4,500 feet of climbing per day. Some days, for example, day 11, the cyclist party – he was with a number of others – went to the top of Mount Ventoux, which is often part of the route for the Tour de France bike ride and over 6,000 feet. It was so high that it was there was still evidence of snow and mist.

The route also took the party on another day to a ski resort after the skiiing season, which gives you some idea of the height. The lovely thing about the route was that it took Angus into small villages and some of the more unexplored regions of France with the tasting of local gastronomic delights. But after 14 fairly grueling days the cyclists finally reached Nice, with its hotter climate and more delightful scenery.

Not only did Angus persevere with a different bed each night including some sleepless nights, long hours attached to the seat of his bike and over two weeks away from home, but he persevered through it all and as a result he has raised over £3,000 for the teenager crisis charity, TIC+ – at a time when teenagers have never been so needy, You can donate via this link https://www.justgiving.com/page/angus-johnson-1706006642955

This shows me what we can do with our writing. Yes, many of us do need to write to earn a living, especially if that is our job and our income. But even then, writing is a gift, a gift to be shared with others. If we can do some writing for charity, we can share that gift for good.

I feel very proud to have co-written – as editor – Jember Teferra’s book, ‘Bible reflections from a life devoted to the poor’. It is her book and her devotionals which are incredibly uplifting and challenging. But it is also a story of her life and her determination (like Angus) to persevere to help the poorest of the poor in her country of Ethiopia against a hostile country and even imprisonment, ending up helping thousands of people and raising them out of poverty to a better life. What an incredible legacy!

This book is for charity. It costs £10 to cover our costs, with any extra money going to fund the two charities – one to help to sponsor children and old people in the projects Jember set up, and one to train up more leaders and helpers to sustain the work. It can be ordered direct from me at journojohnson@aol.com