8th August 2022

A group of cyclists has ridden from coast to coast to raise more than £2,500 for our hospitals.

Organised by Mark and his wife Jill, the group cycled almost 150 mile in four days, including through the Lake District and across the Pennines. They started in Whitehaven and finished in Tynemouth.

Mark wanted to say thank you after he had major heart problems in 2019 and 2020 and was treated at the Bristol Heart Institute (BHI).

He said: “It is through the kindness, care and treatment I received at the BHI I have been able to recover. We were at the time, and continue to feel, very grateful to all the team at the BHI and we wanted to give something back. So it seemed like a good thing to do to raise some funds for them to help with those things that mainstream funding is not available for.”

Mark and Jill decided to build their fundraising challenge around an existing love of cycling. They persuaded some friends to join them and set off on their challenge on 20th June.

Mark said: “The chance to travel on a bicycle through the Lake District and over the Pennines was fantastic, the scenery was beautiful and the people we met along the way were very friendly and hugely supportive of what we were doing. The hardest thing was cycling on day three when we had a series of five climbs over a relatively short distance on the hottest of the four days we were cycling, so that was a tough day.  

“To anyone else thinking of doing a fundraising challenge, I’d say have a go, choose something you can feel passionate about, have a good plan and better still a team to help. You will be amazed by the generosity and kindness of people in supporting your fundraising.”

It’s not too late to sponsor Mark and the team.

Click here to sponsor the coast-to-coast challenge

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