A Penrith grandfather and three of his friends are taking on a mammoth cycling challenge spanning more than 1,100 miles in memory of his grandson.
Known as The Old Duffers – but Still Game! – taken from the BBC Scotland sit-com, Still Game – Willy Bonner, Gordon Mackenzie, Martin Wood and Peter Ballingall, with a combined age of 267 years, will cycle around 1,800km from northern France to northern Spain and will set off at the end of this month.
The route between Roscoff in north west France to Hendaye in the south west of the country is known as La Velodyssee however, the group will cycle further, finishing up in Santander on the northern Spanish coast in a route they’re calling Lawson’s Velodyssee-plus in memory of Willy’s grandson.
His grandson died as a result of an accident in July last year aged six and was cared for after his death in Jigsaw’s Butterfly Suite by the nursing team.
The Butterfly Suite provides a private and peaceful bedroom and lounge, a place for families to take time to say goodbye to children after they have died and is a facility which can be used by any family in Cumbria, not just those who have previously been supported by the charity.
Although Jigsaw is based in Durdar Road in Carlisle, the team cares for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses from all corners of Cumbria and beyond. The charity must raise around 75 per cent of the money it needs to operate each year, with services costing £2,126.46 for one whole day.
Willy said: “Without Jigsaw’s facilities, professionalism and kindness, I really don’t know how my family would have got through that time. We continue on our journey to try and repair and rebuild our lives but this is a journey without a destination. Helping others who are experiencing their own loss or impending loss of a young loved one truly gives us a sense of comfort.
“I visited him on several occasions and witnessed at first hand the unbelievable good done by Jigsaw and their extraordinary staff.”
The team’s efforts have so far raised more than £10,500 and they’re calling on the community to donate if possible and help them raise even more money for Jigsaw. Their Just Giving page can be found at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/willy-bonner1lawsonsvelodysseeplus.
The team have been supported in preparing for their cycle ride by Penrith businesses AST Signs Ltd and Arragon’s Cycle Centre who’ve made very generous contributions both monetary and materially.
Vicki Lesley, fundraiser with Jigsaw, said: “We’d like to wish Willy and the rest of the team the best of luck in completing this amazing cycling challenge. The funds and awareness it has raised so far, and will continue to, will help our dedicated medical staff continue to be able to support Cumbria’s children and young people as well as their families.”
