The BIG ADHD Fundraiser 2025: ADHDadultUK & ADHDAF+

'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.' - Margaret Mead
The perfect quote for The Big ADHD Fundraiser!

REGISTER insterest to cycle any or all of the days: HERE
DONATE to the fundraiser HERE
Find out more about ADHDAF+ HERE
Find out more about ADHDadultUK HERE

I've been trying to keep this secret for MONTHS! The most exciting news EVER, shared here in a relaxed chinwag with Dr James Brown of ADHDadultUK and the founder of the third annual BIG ADHD Fundraiser, Darren.  Shared on the very day of the first ever ADHDAF+ Peer Support Group, launching in the silver City of Aberdeen, where this podcast began!

I could not be more grateful to Darren, Claire, Beth, Kirsty and all of the team behind this INCREDIBLE fundraiser for including ADHDAF+ Charity this year!
But WAIT FOR IT... not only are they cycling 288 miles through Scotland, Wales and England in LEOPARD PRINT to honour ADHDAF's Leopard Print Army (the community that inspired the Charity) but THEY'VE EVEN GOT A LEOPARD PRINT SUPPORT VEHICLE!!! I can't cope!!

In all seriousness, this event has raised £19K over the last two years for ADHDadultUK and ADHD Liberty Charity... and as shared in this episode by ADHD adults Podcast host James; that money has created a legacy which will benefit hundreds of thousands of ADHDers for many years to come! ALL OF THE FEELS and absolutely all of the respect and gratitude to Darren and the Big ADHD Fundraiser crew!

You are helping ADHDAF+ Charity get up and running, so that we can connect and empower ADHD adults of marginalised genders in Scotland, England and Wales.
We cannot say THANK YOU enough!

TW: Contains swearing and mentions of bullying, low self worth and difficulties faced due to ableism and unidentified ADHD.  If you are struggling, lo siento. You are not alone.  Please do reach out for help HERE

We are ONE Community, and TOGETHER we thrive.
LEOPARD PRINT ARMY!
Laura
X

*Though ADHDAF Podcast and all things ADHDAF inspired and help fundraise for the Charity, ADHDAF+ is an entirely separate entity

Transcript

 I found this quote yesterday. I love a nerdy quote, and I just thought it was so very fitting that I wanted to start on this. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. And I just thought that that was so fitting because I'm joined by two incredible people who are incredibly thoughtful and committed and are really doing exactly that.

First of all, I would like to introduce you to Darren.  You know me, this is not my place, but I'm willing to be here for the greater cause. Oh, thank you ever so much, Darren. You might recognize Darren's voice because I actually played a clip from Darren around about this time last year. But you would definitely recognize the voice of the wonderful Dr.

James Brown. Wonderful? You do know me, don't you, Laura? Yes, I do. And actually, that is why You are not allowed to play your usual game of Make Laura Cry, because I'm doing a very good job of not doing it today.  Yeah, this is your get out of James making Laura cry card, which you've got to play and you've played it successfully.

Thank you very much. Thank you very much. The reason why we are having this, what will be a very relaxed and informal conversation, because it's all I'm capable of right now. It won't be studio quality because it isn't in a studio. It's on a terrible mic but I'm doing my best. So, as I said, you might recognize Darren's voice because he has featured on the podcast this time last year and he's come back again because he's in for another round of  The Big ADHD Fundraiser.

So this is the third, now annual, Big ADHD Fundraiser. So tell me about how it came about. How did it start? I was 42 when I took my first steps towards diagnosis. I sat on a five year waiting list. I had no information, no support, no nothing. Finally got my diagnosis at the age of 47. Got my medication, and like everything, Everybody else I've talked to got kicked out the door, no support.

I searched the internet for support groups, information. And in my true ADHD fashion, I got really bored with searching and gave up. Seven years after my first step, someone close to me, the, they introduced me to ADHD AF and  I said, I said, it might not. Really applies to you very much Darren, but it's somewhere to start and that then also led on to listening to the ADHD adult podcast.

Between you two guys and Alex and Sam, it's changed my life completely. Two years ago I just decided I need to give something back because I'm taking a lot of information from you lot and changing my life. So I need to give something back and maybe in a small way, you know, change some other people's lives, help to at least year one, we cycled from Bristol to London, just myself and my wife, Claire, I obviously I got to know James, Alex, and Sam, the beginning of last year, I was starting to set up years to Sam put myself and Rosie Turner in contact with each other because Rosie was looking to set up a charity event at the same time.

So we combined efforts last year, we done London to Amsterdam. And there was 10 riders last year. We raised 16, 400 pounds. So that's over two years. We raised 19, 000 pounds. Now I'm immensely proud of, and I know everybody who's been involved in the ride so far have been over the moon about the reason we keep going is we want to go bigger and better and we want to support more charities.

I last year, we, we teamed up with Rosie, like I say, and we also supported ADHD Liberty, Sarah Templeton, and I want to spread out. across the charities as much as I can. Yeah, exactly. You know, we're all in it together. And if we can, if we can support each other, then a hundred percent, honestly, what incredible work and you should be so proud of yourself, the difference that you have made with your incredible fundraising expeditions.

I was trying to think of a word there.  James, tell me about what Darren and the team's incredible fundraising has actually managed to achieve for your charity. I think the first thing, obviously. Huge thanks to Darren and anybody that's taken part in the event so far. As you know, Laura, it's difficult setting up and running a charity at the start, particularly when nobody's donating, and it's often your own money.

And when we started adhd. uk, it was largely my own money. And bits and bobs to kind of set up the website and set up, you know, support and to build on that. And the plans for the charity have obviously always been bigger than that. The plans are, what can we do that has a lasting impact? And one of the things early on in the kind of growth of the charity, that particularly Alex and I wanted to do, was to produce a psychoeducation course that would be available to everybody.

So that when you get diagnosed, or if you're on the waiting list, there is a resource that can teach you everything you need to know about ADHD that is available to everybody, including family members and colleagues and employers, and is evidence based, because there's, you know, there's a lot of information out there that's not accurate or has an element of bias.

That idea then became, let's do this with the NHS. Because the head of NHS Digital or the Learning Hub, as it's known, got in touch and we had a chat and they said they'd love us to produce a psychoeducation course hosted on the NHS Digital platform. Now, currently, this is a platform you can only access if you've got an NHS or an academic email address, and this will be the first course.

That won't be that case. Anybody will be able to access it. We thought brilliant. And then we thought, I'm going to have money to do this. I've waited because the costs are, you know, exactly, exactly, exactly. So originally, originally when we looked at it, the plan was we'll film everything in my front room and I'll write all the scripts with Alex and do all the graphic design, the editing, and it wouldn't have works.

And then when Darren and I. Kind of first got chatting after the first event and we were thinking, what can we use the money for? We thought we'll straight away that. And then after the second event, easily the biggest donation the charities received. What it's allowed us to do is to now actually get to the point where we've engaged a graphic design and video editing team.

We've engaged a group of different people to help us with getting it on board. And it is now being considered for endorsement. by the NHS in general, the NHS ADHD program. We're at the very earliest of stages with this. So the reason this has taken probably longer than we wanted to get started is we're in lots of discussions with various kind of bodies within the NHS for this to be.

not just something we do and stick on our website, but for this to be endorsed and possibly shared with commissioning groups and shared with GP practices. And if you just step back from that for a second,  and Darren will probably look towards his shoes when I say this, none of that would happen if it wasn't for Darren and the people who've helped Darren raise money.

And for us as a charity, for me as an individual. Wanting to have that almost legacy, that thing that we've done where we can say there, there you go, we've done something that can impact people. This was what we wanted to do. And it, it absolutely either wouldn't happen or wouldn't have the same level of reach and impact if it weren't for the fundraising that Darren and everyone that's helped Darren has done.

And, you know, that I think is a wonderful legacy, not just for us, but for Darren and everyone's raised this money to be able to say that we've. pretty much paid for something that is hopefully going to help hundreds of thousands of people over the next, you know, five years, 10 years, et cetera. And that's, that's what we, that's what we are not just aiming, but actively now using the, those donations for.

Honest to God, I said, don't make me cry, James. I was like holding the shrieks in as you were talking like. It is, it is changing the world. Look at the difference that you and, and your amazing, well, not just you and the charity, James, obviously, but Darren, the work that you have done is absolutely incredible.

And I'm just so, so, so grateful that it's, that it's ADHDF it's time to get, jump on the bandwagon. This year to help us get up and running. I just honestly, I cannot say thank you enough. I really can't. I have no one to take your praise. I really, um, the most uncomfortable feeling in the world. His toes curling under the seat.

Yeah, I'm just looking at everything here at the moment. But what that money's gone to is truly amazing. And I hope that it's going to help thousands of people who won't have to go through exactly what we talked about. No support, no information. And I couldn't be prouder of. of that, and I know the people on the rides, uh, with us would be extremely proud as well.

I just want to say thank you for using the money for something so worthwhile. So let's, let's come back to now. We've actually upped the ante a little this year. We've, we've added some extra mileage this year. Listening to the podcast about the charity and your support.  You're now going to be doing Scotland, England and Wales.

We are going to be cycling through Scotland, England and Wales. So I think it's 288  miles over three days.  It's going to be incredible though. There is some amazing areas that we're going to be going through. We are actually going to be cycling the whole length of Lake Windermere, which is going to be absolutely beautiful.

Whoever joins us on this ride this year.  It's,  I don't know, James loves this expression about the peaceful wildness, you know, um, I have, I understand what Alex means when he says that now, and uh, when you're out on that ride, and your head's buzzing, but you're in that sort of location, you're totally at one.

I really hope we can smash The target from last year, we've decided to go with the Leopard Print Army theme. Yeah, we are going to be wearing Leopard Print cycling shirts. Uh, the good news is, if you're not the traditional, uh, Leopard Print, you can choose A massive hand, is that what you're trying to say?

I was a bit like, I was, I was a little bit, oh, um, but no, you can change, you can choose your own color of  Honestly, the squeals I'm holding in, like, it's literally hurting my cheeks. When you sent me the pictures of the, of the riding, what do you call it? Not uniform, the riding attire. What you're wearing, your fundraising shirts to, to cycle in.

I was literally like, Oh my actual God, they are in there for it. It has literally made my life. Thank you so much.  No, we have, we do have already had the pledge for the support vehicle again, and that is going to be signed, written up in a leopard print theme as well. So  I can't wait to see the design on that.

That's going to be pretty awesome. We're doing that, that right over those three days, starting on the 1st of August. So we were starting there.  And we'll travel down through Scotland, England, and finish up in Wrexham. I'd love to think that we can get a lot of support along the way, and see a few of the Leopard Print Army and the ADHD adult fans as well.

So it would be amazing. There's sort of a little bit of a message within the ride as well, not just about raising money. So,  For me, it's about people with the right support. We, we achieve big things, you know, with the right people around us, everyone pulling together, we've achieved massive things. Look at you two guys, look what you're doing for the world.

Also on the right, we have a no one left behind rule. If someone's struggling, we drop back. There's always somebody with whoever's in a situation of any kind. And it's also, we all achieve together. It's about proving to the world ADHD doesn't have to hold you back as long as you've got the right support around you.

We all like different things. We can all do different things. And if you use those different things from each person, the team, what you build is massive.  It is exactly that. Together we thrive and that peer support and the fact that not just the massive umbrella of neurodivergence, but within ADHD, we are all different and ADHD can present differently between all of us and fluctuate with our hormones, for example.

So the fact that it is so different and we are so different. With that mutual understanding, with that compassion, with that support, and each of us leaning into our own skillset, that's how we thrive. It's together. I love that so much. In this space, like the different ADHD charities, the different ADHD podcasts, for example, your podcast, James, within it, You definitely have a lot more useful information than I do.

Mine is that emotional side of it, and it's that feeling. Together we can build this picture by acknowledging our differences, leaning into our strengths, and together that's how we get through. So, oh, I just love it so much. I feel like I've been talking for 20 years, I'm sorry.  What you've just said there, Laura, is, is a wonderful If you like description of what as a community we need to do,  because and this, this isn't criticizing anyone in our community.

We're often not joined up. We're often not all pointing in the same direction. You know, if you look at the bigger neurodivergent charities that they may be Like to work alone. And if you look at, you know, some podcasts, they maybe see it as, I don't know, a competition and, and it's never been our approach.

Our approach has always been if we all work together to make sure that everybody can find something in terms of support that resonates with them, that feels authentic to them, whether it's, you know, an evidence based podcast that's dry, whether it's three idiots fucking around like it is on the ADHD adults.

whether it's, you know, people who've got so much important lived experience to share, you know, for marginalized groups, which is, you know, a lot of the stuff that you've done.  We need to work together because you're not ever going to have one organization that has the bandwidth and the space and the reach to, to, to affect everybody.

And I think by Charities and podcasts and people in the sector working together to make sure that everybody at least has one, if you like, support system that helps them understand themselves, that helps them deal with some of the challenges that we have, that does, what Darren says, provides some of the support that allows us to then go on and, you know,  And that's exactly what we should all be aiming for as people who don't just have ADHD or other neurodivergences, but are working kind of together to try and make things better for everyone.

And this is what I love about being involved with, with both of you on this and anyone else that's involved is we're doing that. We're getting together. We're pointing in the same direction. And we're saying, right, how many people can we help? How can we use this to reach the most people? And that approach is brilliant.

Yeah, I just want to add, obviously, James, we met up at the ADHD summit in London the other week, and Laura, I met some of the Leopard Print Army, and oh my god, how welcome were we made.  We were part of that family straight away, and you built that. That's absolutely amazing. You know, those guys love you to bits as well.

They are the best people, and um, yeah, it is really, really wonderful to pay homage to all that has been learned.  In that space, in, in, in bringing that group of people together, which has led, from the podcast, to inspire creating the charity in that leopard print. Because the leopard is the symbol, did you know this?

It is the symbol of Aberdeen, Scotland, where the podcast first began. So that's That's partly why we wear leopard print and also because it symbolizes bravery, in speaking out, in owning who you are, the reclaiming of power. So many of us feel so powerless. We've been downtrodden, you know, not listened to, dismissed, et cetera, that reclaiming of that power.

And, you know, We are mostly absolute huns. It is the joke of, I mean I am an absolute hun, I am basically calculated, but it, it is to do with the fact that I kind of want to make reference to the fact that my experience, my age, getting diagnosed later in life as a woman has been so common and people my age.

I mean, we are just absolute Huns, you know, we love a bit of Leopard Print and Hun culture and all the rest of it, so I just think it is absolutely brilliant, I'm just so jealous, and actually, in case that puts anybody off joining your troop of Leopard Print wearing riders, we can also say that Leopard Print is very punk actually, you could be a rock star in Leopard Print actually, right? 

I'll go with that one. Laura, do you remember that my, do you remember the boots that I wore to the, the Christmas event? I love the boots! James wore some incredible leopard print Chelsea boots and they were really cool. And I think you should wear them every day. Yeah, well, if you remember, I couldn't actually walk in them.

So I was walking heel to toe, but it was so important to me to wear something in leopard print.  That was a bit ridiculous, which could help me kind of. Really feel like part of the army. I  very much appreciate that. And, uh, it really reminds me of a joke. A really old Suzy Izzard joke. Where he's talking about the different levels of cool and like if you've got a matchstick hanging out of your mouth and it's like there's a really fine line between being cool and groovy and looking like a dickhead.

But I think, as long as everything is done. We should have just left it. It's about there,  I think, on that one, James. A lot of people decide that one. But as long as you do it with grace and humour, you never look like a dickhead. That's, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it.  Yeah, you've just described my whole approach to sartorial,  um, how I dress is it has to be, it has to be a uniform of ridiculousness for me to leave the house to be fair.

So those boots, I'll wear them to other events and, and they'll get commented on and I'll tell them why Laura. And when you cycle, what was it? 200 and something miles. 288, yeah. 288 miles! They're the perfect footwear for that, James. So I'm assuming that's what you'll be wearing. I, I, listen, hang on a minute.

Darren has hinted that maybe I could join this cycle. Let's just look at the reality of this. You did say you wanted to do something outside your comfort zone, James. There you go. Yeah, I did. I did, but I also don't want to do something necessarily that will end my life right now, darling. No, there is a leopard print support vehicle and no man gets left behind, you'll be fine.

Well, if you need me to drive that small vehicle, or if you need me to maybe just drive alongside filming in cheerleading, I can do that. We've got a WhatsApp group chat and I messaged earlier saying I went to the gym for the first time in a year and lasted half an hour and I'm not sure there's enough time, effort, whey protein or cycling shorts in the world that can get me into a position where I can cycle two miles, let alone 288  miles.

I hear you.  Has he just put a challenge to us there, Laura? I think he has. I think he absolutely has. I think that we should do, James, we should do the last, like Well, I was gonna say mile, but even that is pushing it because I've got no balance. But maybe we could get one of those tandem bikes? Tandems, yeah.

And you could steer it and I'll just be like, manpower in the background, not in charge of keeping anything steady or going in any direction, and we could do it and together we thrive. There you go, that's what we do. Yeah. Well, I, I, I, I can, I'm going to regret saying this, um, I can commit to that. If you want to Laura, we'll get a tandem and we'll either do the first smile or the last.

Well, maybe the better thing to do then is rather than a tandem thingy, we should do like, we could just have sidecars.  Big could ride a big bike in the front and we could be in the back in a sidecar and that just sounds safer all round. I like that idea. I'm not sure Big will, but I like that idea. In all seriousness, Darren, how do people get involved?

We've got a Google form to fill in to register your interest. Once we've gathered all the information of people, we'll start messaging out with all the information that they need. The form's in the show notes and you don't actually have to cycle all three days, you can sign up for one or two. Just click on there, fill in your details, just to register your interest.

At that point you're not committing to anything. We've already got the majority of last year's team committed to this year. Actually just on that note and going back to what we were talking about putting the Leopard Print Army together in the support. Last year we had one rider, an inspiration, he hadn't Ridden more than, I think, about five miles when he turned up at the start line.

He had faced a lot of discrimination and I think it was the end of day two. He said to me, I've never had an opportunity to mix with people and be treated equally to everybody else. The team last year supported him all the way. I've spoken to his mum very recently and he's now a different kid. Got so much more confidence in himself.

He has just changed beyond belief. He's committed again to this year, which is amazing and I'm looking forward to seeing him again. Honestly, all of the feels, I cannot even cope. So tell me again, so you're going to start on the First of August, we start in air. Going to average around about 100 miles each day.

Easy, no worries. It's down the road, isn't it? First day, come down past Gretna into England. Second day would be going through the Lake District, down past Liverpool. Preston is around about where we stop on the, at the end of the second day. From there into Wales and finish actually at Wrexham Football Ground.

Oh that's so cool, I love it. Obviously being the third year, we want to go bigger and better every year. The more money we can raise, the more people we can support, the more people are going to benefit and just hopefully have their lives turned around. Mine was, by you two. Hopefully we can do it again. Oh, that's so, so wonderful.

It is. Thank you so, so much. And how do people sponsor? We will be setting up a funding page. We just need to get details from people to come in first of all. That will be shared far and wide as soon as we got it and you'll be the first two people to get it. Wonderful. Thank you very, very much.  I'm actually going outside my comfort zone again and allowing other people to take charge of bits, which is, oh, as long as they update me, I'm good.

Beth Errington, she's up in air, so she's so far helping us with the routes up there, making sure that we're on the right types of roads. She's also going to be helping out on admin side of things. Kirstie, wonderful lady. She's doing a lot of socials  for us on the Nuts About fundraising Instagram page. I can't really forget my, my lovely wife, Claire.

She, she has to put up with me. She's done nearly 20 years of it, so she's used to me now. But, uh, no, she's doing so much work in the background as well, on the admin side of things. Yeah, I can thank them all, you know. That's so incredible. Do you have any most ADHD thing stories from the last?  I don't think there was  one out of the ten of us that actually didn't go the wrong way at some point during the road. 

To be fair, we probably went the wrong way more than we went the right way. And we all had sat navs as well, so,  but still, everybody smiled the whole way through, you know. And.  Like I said, nobody was left behind and everybody was supported and I'm so looking forward to it because not only am I proud of it, we have such a laugh.

We really do. We are laughing the whole way. The way ADHD people gravitate to each other and understand each other and you don't have to explain things. You can do things and everyone's laughing and you all accept who you are. Uh, and it is so good. Honestly, it's so good. I'm looking forward to it. Oh, I'm so excited for you and, and for our little, um, our little jolly at the end, James.

There's a couple of things I'd like to say. A, that whole story, Darren, was a lovely analogy, I think, for what ADHD often is, which is we get to the same destination, but we often take a different route, if that makes sense. And we have challenges on the way, and sometimes we'll fall off the bike or The bike might feel like it's not working, but, you know, with support and resilience, we do manage to get things done, incredible things like this.

And the other thing, putting my science head on, is one thing I love about this is probably the most powerful non pharmacological,  you know, approach for ADHD is exercise. And there's good evidence that exercise improves our symptoms. And so I love that it's also using a tool which people with ADHD. could and potentially should use to help manage their symptoms to raise money for people with ADHD.

I love that so much. You're so right, because it is, it's like it's a perfect model of everything. Like we said before, that leaning into skill sets, supporting each other, now you've got exercise, you've got fresh air, the light in your eyeballs is meant to work wonders, all of that stuff. It demonstrates it perfectly across the board.

I absolutely love it. And I want it live for print! That's important!  Right, do you want to tell me what the most ADHD thing you've done this week is? Yeah, so as I mentioned earlier, I went to the gym for the first time in ages and while I was exercising I saw what I thought was possibly the tallest man I've ever seen, would make big look average height, Laura, and I thought I've got to go over and speak to this guy because, I mean, how tall is he?

I didn't notice he was stood on something.  As I walked up,  And got next to this guy who was on something that was about nearly nearly two feet high. I just stood there,  looked at him. He looked at me and I walked away.  It was the last two steps as I was walking to a thinking, my God, this guy is impressive.

He's so tall. I'm going to have to say you're the tallest person. Oh, you stood on something. Yeah, yeah, it's amazing.  Yeah, it's just brilliant, isn't it? Jesus Christ, James, he stood on a fucking box. You can see it. Just look down. Just look down. It's down there. But no,  I was just focused on look how tall that person is.

That's incredible. I think the only downfall in that story is that you eventually noticed that he was stood on something. I really wish you hadn't seen the box and carried on the conversation personally.  Before we go, I just have to add, if you are listening, on Wednesday the 5th of March, 2025,  Today is the day that ADHD AF plus launches its first ever in person peer support group.

And as is only right, we're starting in Aberdeen. And funnily enough, just one day out from two years to the day from the first. ever ADHD AF podcast event, which happened on the 4th of March, 2023. And these events bringing people together, just like in the online community to do it in person and see the benefit of that is one of the main inspirations behind the creation of ADHD AF plus charity.

So do come along. If you're anywhere near Aberdeenshire and connect with local literally like minded legends, there's no tickets, no RSVP and no formal ADHD diagnosis necessary. As I said in the previous episode, we've got more support groups starting up in Scotland, Wales and England next month and there's more details about everything on adhdfplus.

org. uk where you can also apply to be a volunteer host. of your own local peer support group. Just let us know where and we'd love to hear from you.  On that note, should we wrap it up, peeps? Do we have anything, well, as you would do on your podcast, James, do we have any final reflections? Thank you both. I said earlier, you've changed my life for the better.

I'm much more confident in who I am and happy with who I am. Anybody out there who wants to join us on this ride, please just Fill in the form and we'll get back in contact with you. I can guarantee a couple of things. You're going to meet some extraordinary people and you're going to have a great laugh and you won't be left behind.

I just hope that we can raise as much money for you guys to continue on supporting people around the country. I really appreciate it. I think my final reflection is obviously, I'm just massively overwhelmed and impressed with everything that Darren and his team do. For anyone that's listening that maybe feels they haven't got the money to donate when this happens, it's absolutely brilliant if you can just share the odd post.

And, and, and spread awareness on this because times are tough, obviously financially, but just helping us and Darren's team make people more aware of this is a brilliant thing that you can do. Yes, absolutely. And honestly, all of the feels as per usual, but seriously, all of the gratitude and just absolute respect and admiration for all that you have achieved and, and your team, you and Claire and, and everybody who's been involved in, in the big ADHD fundraisers over these last couple of years.

And just thank you so, so, so much. The Leopard Print Army salutes you and ADHDF Plus Charity could not be more grateful for helping us. Get up and running. So so, so much.