BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR |
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| Have you ever said to yourself - 'that's a good idea' - & then immediately realized what exactly you have committed yourself to? Well, that's exactly what five, not so young & slightly unfit fellas did when they 'volunteered' to take part in the Leeds - Liverpool Charity Bike Trek along the canal towpath! | |
| It all began back in April 2013 when Barbara Walls was diagnosed with breast cancer. She quickly underwent surgery & having started her post operative treatment of chemotherapy, radiotherapy & ongoing Herceptin treatments, began looking for some way she could say a small thank you for what had been done for her. | |
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| Enter hubby Steve - 'brilliant idea' - says he - ' I'll do a sponsored cycle ride' - Now anyone who knows him, knows that when he sets his mind to something he generally succeeds in achieving what he sets out to do, so the first thing to decide was where & when the ride would take place. | |
| If it was going to gather support it needed to be something to catch the imagination - the Leeds Liverpool Canal towpath - says he - all 130 miles - in June - the target - to complete the ride in 15 hours in the saddle. Doesn't sound an awful lot, 8.5mph - but have you seen some of the towpath! | |
| Now some may say - probably most - 'the fool' - but not such a fool, roping in others just as daft as him to take part. First to sign up - John Barnes closely followed by Stu Hyde & Robbie Fitzsimmons. The fifth member of the motley crew was a good friend, Ken McVey (not a Mason - yet & himself recovering from cancer). | |
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| So there you have it - 5 riders - with an average age 'slightly over 60' - & two of them having not sat in the saddle for a long, long time & not having a bike! | |
| What of the Support Team - not a problem - John Cherry, Geoff Cuthill & Chris Walls all jumped at the chance to 'ride in the van' & Howard & Mark Youdan quickly volunteered their services as Treasurers. | |
| Lodges & Chapters sent letters seeking their donations & a 'Just Giving' page opened - no going back now. | |
| Most of us will have seen Top Gear & watched as 'Jezza, Hampster & Captain Slow' went on their expeditions - always with a 'back up car' as a forfeit should their chosen vehicle give up the ghost - it could be a Volkswagen Beetle or Austin Allegro. Well, we were to be no different - Geoff Cuthill supplying a 'butchers bike' complete with wicker basket! | |
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| So the stage is set - 'volunteers ready ...ish - having been training to various degrees (whether they all make it back is another matter) - pots of Vaseline & bottles of Ellimans Universal Muscle Rub lined up! | |
| The bikes were collected by the Support Team on Monday 16th June for transporting to Leeds & the riders travelled by train on Tuesday 17th June - to Leeds - arriving at 9.40am. By 10.30am the riders were setting off on the first leg - +/- 46 miles & 44 locks to the first overnight stop passing through the Airdale Valley; Keighley, onto Skipton, Gargrave & Barnsoldwick to Foulridge. | |
| At the Foulridge Tunnel the riders follow the towpath diversion (no towpath through the tunnel & they don't fancy swimming carrying their bikes) to Blakely Hall Farm - the end of a long & no doubt tiring day. | |
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| Refreshed & capable? - the riders set off on day 2 - +/- 55 miles & 47 locks later, passing the halfway point at Church; 'Johnsons Hill' locks; Chorley & on to Wigan flight locks - 21 locks - at least we will be going down! Through Wigan; Crooke & Appley Bridge, before reaching the 2nd overnight stop at the Red Lion Hotel in Parbold. | |
| Day 3 dawns - just a short day today - +/- 30 miles & 4 locks into Liverpool. | |
| Through Burscough & onto Scarisbrick Marina, Haskayne, Lydiate, Maghull, under the M58 & M57 before reaching Aintree & the infamous 'canal turn'. Passing through Litherland & onto Bootle where at the Bootle Strand - the end on the horizon - just 3 miles to go! | |
| The Eldonian Village & canal basin looms into view - sadly the riders have to leave the canal as it drops through the final 4 locks & disappears under Great Howard Street into Stanley, Collingwood, Salisbury, Trafalgar, West Waterloo, Princes Half Tide & Princes Docks before passing through the Pierhead into the Albert Dock. | |
| The riders cross Waterloo Road (the Dock Road) & pick up the canal again on William Jessop Way passing the Malmaisson Hotel, across the footbridge over Princes Dock & onto Princes Parade to the finish at the 'Liver Birds'..... at 1.50pm on 19th June 2014. Total time in the saddle 13 hours 41 minutes. | |
| At 1st July 2014 the event had raised a total in excess of £4500.00p with more donations & sponsorship to be collected. The funds would be divided between the Linda McCartney Cancer Care Centre & the Macmillan Nurses in West Lancashire. | |
POST SCRIPT |
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| Between April 2013 & May 2014 four other ladies of the Lodge were diagnosed with cancer & three other ladies who had suffered from this dreadful disease let it be known. If there were a need for any additional incentive for the event to be a success then such was it. | |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |
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With every event there are those who give freely of their support who must be acknowledged for their contribution. The following is a list of those who the Riders & Support Team wish to thank for their contributing to the success of this particular event: |
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Loren Slade - 'R' Charity Royal Liverpool Hospital (Linda McCartney Cancer Care Centre) |
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Lisa & Alison - Macmillan Cancer Support, Royal Liverpool Hospital Linda McCartney Cancer Care Centre |
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Gita & Sonny - Booker News, Booker Avenue Liverpool 18 |
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Tesco Express - staff & customers of Tesco Express, Holmefield Road Liverpool 18 |
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Scarisbrick Marina - Daniel, Alan & John Mawdsley, the staff & customers |
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West Lancashire Mark Charity Fund |
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Liverpool Masonic Hall staff |
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A et H Soc Korcorum Mag Brit, The Alt |
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Brethren & Companions of Lodges & Chapters |
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Geoff Brown - Masprint |
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Ladies & Gentlemen Contributors |
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| Article and Photographs Courtesy of Steve Walls | |
