Sheffield haulage contractor Mike Hopley decided he’d take a slightly different approach when he took up the challenge of the famous John O’Groats to Lands End trek in aid of our hospice.
While most people do the 1,000 journey on a traditional bicycle, Mike took to the road on a recumbent trike, a three-wheeled bicycle that places the rider in a reclining position. And by the time he’d completed his epic ride from the far north of Scotland to Cornwall, he had raised almost £5,000!
“I’ve wanted to do the journey ever since I was a teenager and just never got round to it,” said Mike, of Firth Park.
“When my 50th birthday approached, though, I realised it was a case of now or never, especially after I lost a good friend, which reminded me that I should start to do all those things I’d always talked about.
“And because my mother had always supported St Luke’s Hospice, I decided that I’d may as well turn it into a fundraiser and do something positive.”
As a keen recumbent trike enthusiast, Mike knew he’d want to complete the challenge on three wheels, though his only travelling companion – daughter Kellie, aged 24 – stuck to two wheels.
Sponsorship deals from Sheffield companies World of Superheroes.com and Mann Metals got the fundraising off to a flying start.
“I was overwhelmed by the generosity of people we met along the way too,” said Mike. “Knowing that we raised so much money for St Luke’s really did make the whole journey seem that much more worthwhile.”
