A cyclist has already covered more than 3,200 miles as part of bid to raise money for St Giles Hospice.
Ian Leech, 59, has set himself the target of covering an average of 60 miles each day before his 60th birthday on 19th January 2023.
It is the latest challenge the hospice’s community engagement and supportive care manager has undertaken since his daughter Melissa was given end of life care in 2008 after being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Previous rides have included cycling from London to Paris three times and cycling 600 miles to visit 30 football grounds on what would have been Mel’s 30th birthday.
He said:
“With my 60th birthday coming up I wanted to mark the event in my own special way. I thought about cycling from London to Paris but I’ve done that before, and then I got the idea of cycling 60 miles each week until I’m 60 – and the 60 2 60 challenge was born.
“I’ve really enjoyed it so far. I’m doing a variety of organised rides, like St Giles Cycle Spring and Cycle Autumn, some new routes, and a few of my favourite rides like the journey from Louth to Skegness and Mablethorpe.
“It’s also been very sociable, with many friends and St Giles colleagues joining me to keep me company along the way.”
Ian Leech
Ian was working for the support services at Staffordshire Police when his daughter fell ill, and following her death he started working for the Lymphoma Association before moving to St Giles Hospice in 2013.
“Mel received excellent end of life care from St Giles Hospice and the support they gave our whole family during her final days and after she died made such a difference. As a result, the hospice is very close to our hearts.
“I did my first London to Paris cycle challenge a year after Mel died and I found that cycling helped with my grief and made me feel better in myself. It became a great way to raise both awareness and funds, while helping me at the same time.
“I never set a financial target for my rides because I know from working with charities and fundraising myself that every pound received makes a real difference, whether you raise £50 or £5,000.
“I just get my head down and keep cycling. At the moment I’m ahead of my mileage target, but I know that all it takes is a couple of weeks of bad weather and I’m suddenly 120 miles behind and trying to catch up.
“But I love the challenge and I’ve never taken on a fundraising ride that I haven’t enjoyed.
“I would encourage anyone thinking of fundraising for St Giles to organise their own event or take part in one of our organized events. Planning your challenge is half the fun and you make some amazing memories along the way.”
Ian Leech
To make a donation to Ian’s challenge for St Giles Hospice visit www.justgiving.com/60260. People can also follow his progress on his blog.
