Penny farthing to £500,000

NEXT YEAR

ARMY veteran Dean Williams is preparing to climb aboard his penny farthing for a charity bike ride which will tell the story of the Dunkirk evacuation.

The 52-year-old, from Hinckley, had twice been a support rider for the annual Big Battlefield Bike Ride (BBBR) in aid of Help for Heroes.

This year, he wanted to ride as a fund-raiser which did on his penny farthing, despite it not having gears and not being able to free wheel.

He is now planning to take part in next year’s event, telling the story of Operation Dynamo, the missing to rescue the British Expeditionary Force from the beaches of Normandy in 1940.

“When people saw the bike, they stopped, waved and clapped, and even doffed their caps, it is special,” Dean said.

“The camaraderie and the friendships you make on BBBR are just brilliant, everyone is there to support each other, it is a real team effort.

“Along the routes we pay our respects at the many memorials and cemeteries, and the stories of as many ancestors of those taking part in the ride as possible are shared.”

He said this year, an especially poignant moment was a visit to Thiepval Memorial, a war memorial to more than 72,000 British and South African servicemen who died at the Battles of the Somme between 1915 and 1918 and have no known grave.

“I worked out that my wheel would do 72,000 rotations over almost three-and-a-half days so I thought a lot about those about those who died without a marked grave, and the enormity of that number,” he said.

A total of 141 riders followed the battlefields along The Somme, starting at Nieuwpoort, Belgium, and finishing five days later at the Glade of the Armistice, at Compiegne in France.

They covered more than 300 miles and will have raised more than £500,000.

The BBBR challenge 2023 will involve cycling about 70 miles a day over five days through northern France and includes transport, accommodation, all meals, mechanical support, a BBBR cycling jersey and unique history tours and ceremonial memorial events.

Mark Elliott, who helped start Help for Heroes in 2007 and who has taken part in all 14 BBBRs, said: “The Big Battlefield Bike Ride was our first major fund-raising event, which took place in May 2008.

“The idea was to bring together a group of 200 to 300 passionate people who cared about our Armed Forces, particularly the wounded, injured and sick and injured, to link the past with the present and future and, of course, having the opportunity to ride with ‘our Heroes’ while having the chance to challenge themselves.

“The BBBR is so much more than a cycle ride. It’s a chance to meet friends, visit amazing places, learn some history of the Battlefields, learn about the incredible work of Help for Heroes and raise muchneeded funds to continue to support our Armed Forces Community to live well after service.”

To register for BBBR 2023 visit:

Tigers stars riding for good causes, Page 17

CASH FOR HELP FOR HEROES – AND IS ALREADY PLANNING FOR