EARLIER this year, Phill Braddon, managing director of Pembroke Packaging, and Keith Dodd, formerly of Pembroke Power Station, set off to cycle the length of Cuba, and in so doing decided to raise money for two local Pembroke charities, The Tanyard Youth Project, and The Monkton Priory Bursary. They cycled from Santiago in the south to the capital, Havana, in the north, up through the heart of Cuba, where very few tourists venture. Said Phill: "The roads weren't as bad as we were led to believe; the biggest problem was the heat (35 to 40 degrees every day) and very high humidity." As well as all their personal effects, spares for their bikes and medicines and litres of drinking water, they also carried hundreds of pens which were kindly donated by Barclays Bank, Pembroke. These were handed out to local children, as school items are very scarce. They also carried tea bags, which are a real treat to Cuban families; these were given to the families they stayed with On the journey, they experienced how Cubans live from day to day, and saw first-hand the queues each morning for basic necessities like meat, bread, rice and toiletries, soap and shampoo, which are seen as luxuries. They stayed with Cuban families in 'casa particulares' (B and Bs licensed by the government) and despite the hardship and poverty, they were looked after very well. Breakfast usually consisted of omelette, followed by fresh fruit and sweet Cuban coffee. Dinner was usually chicken or pork served with salad and rice, although they did sample lobster, crocodile and even turtle on the trip. One of the highlights of the journey was taking part in the May Day Workers March. This is the biggest day of the year in communist countries. People in their thousands take part, waving flags and marching past rostrums, where communist party members shout political propaganda over the public address system. After the march, it was time to party as only the Cubans know how. On reaching Havana, they spent two days experiencing everything that this famous city has to offer, before flying home. The journey has left them both with many memories, but the overriding one will be of the friendliness and generosity of the people, who have very little, but what they do have, they are willing to share it with you. Their journey covered 1,200kms over 13 days and thanks to the generosity of the people and businesses of Pembrokeshire, they have raised over £2,850 for the chosen charities. This is the second bike ride that Phill and Keith have undertaken (four years ago they cycled the Camino de Santiago, across northern Spain), thereby raising over £6,000 for local Pembroke charities with these two trips. A third might be in the offing.  Phill and Keith would like to thank everybody for their kind contributions.