Priscilla Bacon Lodge charity fundraising effort from Cyclists Matt Watts and friend Chris Barber
A daring duo of keen cyclists are to take on an epic charity challenge by biking 411 miles from coast to coast to raise vital funds for a specialist health unit which cared for one of their grandmothers.
Matt Watts and friend Chris Barber set off from Lowestoft on Wednesday July 23 and cycle between 80 and 135 miles a day for four days, arriving at St David’s in Wales on Saturday July 26 2014.
The duo decided to take on the mammoth test of their pedal power to mark Chris’ 40th birthday while also raising funds for Priscilla Bacon Lodge, which is run by Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust (NCH&C). They chose to support the unit, which provides specialist care for people with life limiting illness from its base at Colman Road, Norwich, after Matt’s grandmother Iris was looked after at the centre as an inpatient.
“We decided to take on the challenge as we wanted to push ourselves while marking Chris’ birthday,” said Matt (36), who is married to Jessica and has one daughter, Brea, who is almost three. “We tried to pick the two furthest points east and west across the country to make it a real test, and are looking forward to testing ourselves whilst watching the landscape change as we travel towards Wales.”
“During training, we’ve covered up to 150 miles in a day but have always given ourselves time to recover afterwards. We’ve never put in so many miles on consecutive days. We think we’ll be in the saddle for around eight hours a day, which will be tough but hopefully good fun at the same time.
“I’m looking forward to getting on the bike and only having the mileage from that day to worry about, rather than the normal stresses of life.
“My wife persuaded us to use the ride to raise money for charity as she felt it was a real challenge and would be a big achievement for us. We chose Priscilla Bacon to benefit as it is close to my heart because my nan spent quite a bit of time there, so we know all about the really good work that they do.
“We now want to raise as much as we can so that we can make a difference to patients in the future.”
Matt and Chris, who both live in Mulbarton, will be supported during the ride by Matt’s father Barry, who will drive behind the cyclists to offer any help they may need while also transporting their spare tyres and other equipment.
Christine Harvey, Modern Matron for Specialist Palliative Care with NCH&C, said: “We are very grateful to Matt and Chris for choosing to raise money for Priscilla Bacon Lodge through this fantastic cycle challenge, and would like to wish them the very best of luck.
“Every penny raised on behalf of the unit is spent on further improving the environment and care we provide, so brings real benefits to our patients.”
Anyone who would like to sponsor Matt and Chris can visit their Just Giving page at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=MatthewWatts2
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