Our Hospice Heroes take on many different extreme challenges, and during 2017, local resident Chris Perry, of Stone Allerton, decided to cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money for Weston Hospicecare.
Chris challenged himself to complete the 1,050 mile cycle ride after taking up road cycling almost 3 years ago. Knowing volunteers who give their time to Weston Hospicecare, Chris decided an extreme cycle challenge was his way to give support to the charity. “I wanted to take on a meaningful challenge that would give me a tangible target and be able to ‘give something back’ in the process,” Chris said.
Setting off on May 12th, Chris’ journey saw him tackling all sorts of weather-unfortunately it wasn’t all sunshine and blue skies! Cornwall brought a lot of rain showers and fog (as well as hills!).There was also heavy rain when Chris was making his way north from Bristol; over the Severn Crossing and up the Wye Valley, proving that the age old adage is true; you can never rely on the great British weather!
However, as Chris got further north, the weather improved to the point that our one and only heatwave of 2017 hit just as Chris was tackling his final couple of days on the road!
After 15 days, and over 1000 miles, Chris reached John O’Groats, raising £3326.85 for Weston Hospicecare in the process. All of the funds raised will support the hospice’s work to bring life to days for local people affected by life-limiting illnesses. Weston Hospicecare works across areas in the Somerset and North Somerset region to provide care and support both to people who have a life-limiting illness and to their loved ones.
If you’re a keen cyclist, why not consider taking on one of our challenges? We’ve got many cycling events lined up for 2018; you could take part in Ride London, or cycle from London to Paris. You might even decide to take on your own Land’s End to John O’Groats adventure like Chris! Take a look at our Cycle Weston Hospicecare page for more information.