Pals charity ride in memory of Mary
THE nephew of a former school headteacher who suddenly passed away is cycling back to the Rossendale Valley from London to raise money in her memory.
Danny Nolan, 28, who is originally from Rawtenstall, will be cycling the 250-mile route with his friend Zac Sabatino, also from Rossendale, in memory of Mary Nolan, who was headteacher of St Mary’s Primary in Clayton-le-Moors.
The pair, who both now live in London, will be raising money for the Pancreatic Cancer UK charity, in memory of Danny’s aunt Mary, who passed away in February this year shortly after being diagnosed with the disease.
Former BRGS pupil Danny said: “It was a bit out of the blue when she [Mary] passed away - pancreatic cancer creeps up on people and it hit us all very hard.
“At the time, I didn’t feel like there was anything I could do and I just really wanted to do something.”
Danny hopes that his aunt’s popularity will help to bring in plenty of funds to combat a disease which is particularly devastating - with only five percent of people having a five-year survival rate.
He said: “Given her importance and popular position in the community, as well as obviously her devotion to her family - especially her nieces and nephews - we’re hoping there will be plenty of people who would like to help us raise money in her name.”
Having just purchased a new bike, Danny decided he would cycle from London, where he works as a marketing executive, back to his home town - despite having very little cycling experience.
He said that he was relieved to have pal Zac on board, because doing this all on his own would be terrifying.
Danny said: “Zac has a lot more experience than I have, so it will be good to have him with me - he’s recently just done a coast-to-coast challenge.
“We’ve planned our route already, and we’ve managed to avoid places like the Peak District, where there are a lot of hills.”
They will be joined by Danny’s father Tom in a support vehicle.
Danny said: “We’re hoping to finish off at the Buffer Stops bar at the end of the East Lancs railway. There’s a large, open space and I’m hoping there’ll be a few people there to greet us.”