The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Birthday transport challenge
TWO women spent the Bank Holiday weekend travelling from Sheffield to Peterborough on 0 different modes of transport to celebrate their 0th birthdays and help two charities.
Becky Lehane and her cousin Emma Garrod spent the weekend on the move with the help of spacehoppers, ice skates, shopping trolleys, pogo sticks, black cabs and segways.
Ms Garrod, from Peterborough, and Ms Lehane, from Sheffield, started their 93-mile journey in the Yorkshire city at 10am on Saturday and planned to arrive in Ferry Meadows at 9am this morning.
Ms Lehane said: “We had many ideas about what to do to celebrate our coming of age, from swimming the channel to a cakeathon.
“Emma came up with this crazy idea so I am going along with it.
“I’m particularly looking forward to trying a Segway in Ferry Meadows and to the Truckfest in Peterborough as well as going back to my old haunts going up the Paternoster lifts in the Arts Tower at Sheffield University.”
The pair decided to undertake the challenge to raise funds for two causes close to their hearts.
As well as having lots of laughs and the odd thrill or two, Ms Garrod is using her transport extravaganza to raise funds for her local church Christ The King in Hampton, Peterborough.
Ms Lehane is raising money for ASSIST in Sheffield, a charity which works to support asylum seekers in the area.
Ms Garrod said: “Christ The King serves and supports the community in Hampton.
“I’ve been involved with this amazing group of people since coming to Hampton four years ago.
“Living in a brand new township creates its own social challenges for the group.
“But the church is galvanising a greater sense of community here and is planning to establish a new church building for the whole community.”
Ms Lehane added: “ASSIST do an amazing job providing food and shelter for destitute asylum seekers who do not get any support from other sources.
“Many of them sleep rough and ASSIST give a small amount of money for food, others are given somewhere to stay in peoples’ houses.
“Having had a lot of contact with many people in this situation and seeing their great courage, I feel strongly about supporting this cause.”