Two-wheeled charitable efforts raised funds in Mark’s memory

Cycling more than 200 miles in three days in memory of a husband, brother-in-law and friend saw thousands raised.

Angie Durham was joined by her late husband Mark’s brother-in-law Nigel Dulieu and friends Paul Thomas and John and Sarah Faith for the cycling challenge which saw them complete the Way of the Roses.

The route, which saw the group, who dubbed themselves the Wacky Roses, set off from Morecombe and pass through the counties of Lancashire (the red rose) and Yorkshire (the white rose) before finishing in the seaside town of Bridlington, took three days to complete.

With some extra miles added to the Way of the Roses 170 mile distance the friends clocked up 206 miles – a total of 16 and a half hours in the saddle.

Angie said: “We really enjoyed it. It was a challenge, there were some hill climbs that were particularly tough but we were all able to support each other.

“We have also had a lot of support from others as well. On the third day we were near York and I noticed there was something written in chalk on one of the roads.

“It was a good luck message someone I work with had written. That was a boost.”

The ride raised £3,150 for St Nicholas Hospice Care, which cared for Angie’s husband Mark, 45, who died on 11 June 2014 after being diagnosed with a brain tumour the previous Christmas.

Throughout Mark’s illness, the hospice helped to support the couple at home, and following his death Angie and her supporters have raised around £15,000 for the charity.

This isn’t the first time the group have used their pedal power to raise funds for the hospice. Last year the team and conquered a 100 mile ride through Belgium and into Holland and two-years-ago Angie, Nigel, and Paul cycled from Angel Hill, Bury St Edmunds, to Cromer, in Norfolk.

In 2014, three weeks after Mark’s death Nigel and Paul were joined by Ian Dulieu as they cycled across France and Belgium to mark the centenary of World War One. They originally conceived and planned the ride with Mark before his diagnosis, but undertook it in his memory.

Jenny Smith, the hospice’s event manager said: “We are so grateful to Angie, Nigel Paul Thomas John and Sarah for their continued fundraising efforts.

“Without the efforts of supporters like them we wouldn’t be able to keep funding the care and support those across the community coping with illness at the end of their lives need.

“They quite literally go the extra mile for us.

“To have raised £15,000 in just four years is brilliant, and the group are so determined they’re already planning their next challenge.”

The group hope their next charitable challenge will see them cycle 300 miles in three days across France and Belgium.