Yorkshire grit sees Karen back on her bike after freak accident
Karen Brooke is taking on the challenge of a lifetime to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance that saved her life.
TWO YEARS ago Karen Brooke was an active sportswoman. She loved horses, enjoyed cycling and taking part in a number of charity events raising money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
But then, one frosty morning, she slipped on ice near her home in Elland, near Halifax, and everything changed.
The former youth team leader was leading her horse who, startled at her fall, kicked out hitting Karen on the side of her head, causing catastrophic, lifechanging injuries.
Following her accident, Karen was airlifted in minutes by Yorkshire Air Ambulance, the charity she had supported for years, to specialists at Leeds General Infirmary.
The 51-year-old suffered two skull fractures and severe bruising and bleeding on the brain.
“I was lucky to survive,” says Karen. “I had only a slight pulse when Yorkshire Air Ambulance landed and I don’t think I would have made it without them. “They saved my life.” Karen was in a coma for two months and initially suffered personality changes as well as paralysis down her right side.
She was eventually transferred to Dewsbury Hospital where she spent a further four months in rehabilitation learning how to walk, talk, read and write again.
After a total of six months in hospital Karen was discharged to her specially adapted home next door to parents Kath and David.
“When I came home I had carers four times a day, getting me up, cooking and putting me to bed.
“But I am very determined and, with lots of support from my family, I have made myself get better so I can do things myself.”
This courageous woman refused to let the accident and her resulting disabilities define her life.
And, above all, she was determined to raise some money to say thank you to Yorkshire Air Ambulance for saving her.
The life-long Huddersfield Town supporter has signed up to take part in the eighth annual Pedal For Pounds – a 260-mile charity bike ride on the ‘Wagner Way’ from Dortmund, Germany, to Huddersfield, which is being sponsored by Made by Cooper.
Karen, who can currently only walk short distances with a stick, is hoping to complete between 20 and 30 miles of the route each day on a tandem provided by the StreetBikes community cycling project who are also providing co-riders for her throughout the journey.
Clare Taylor, Mandy Sowerby, Julia Woodhead and Gill Greaves from Streetbikes are supporting Karen to do the Challenge on the tandem which Karen hopes will raise more than £3,500.
When Karen first went to Streetbikes she started by riding a trike but through her hard work and determination she has progressed to two wheels and now a tandem.
She is training hard for what will be a huge challenge – going on her home static bike every day, training with Streetbikes every week at Spenborough Running Track as well as regular physiotherapy and swimming sessions.
Huddersfield-based Streetbikes works with communities from all walks of life and cultures, offering opportunities for learners interested in working with bikes or community work. Streetbikes is a small organisation supported by Kirklees Area Committees and the Department for Transport through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund
“Before the accident, I did a couple of the previous Pedal For Pounds events and my brother did it last year,” said Karen. “I wanted to take part to raise money for the Air Ambulance and to give myself a challenge. It is very hard but I will do it.”
Pedal For Pounds is part of the ‘Keep It Up’ Campaign between Huddersfield Town Football Club and Yorkshire Air Ambulance which has generated more than £1.4m since its launch in 2009, with monies raised split equally between the club’s academy and the rapid response emergency service charity.
Although the main Pedal for Pounds 8 ‘Wagner Way’ bike ride, between May 2 and May 6, has sold out, supporters and cycling fans are being invited to join the last leg of the route from Hull back to Huddersfield.
The 80-mile ‘Hull to Home’ ride will see entrants meeting up with the P4P8 riders making their way back to Huddersfield on Saturday, May 6. Anyone interested in participating can find out more information and access the application form through the Huddersfield Town website, www.htafc.com.
The Germany to Huddersfield route has been dubbed the ‘Wagner Way’ after Huddersfield Town Head Coach David Wagner and his assistant Christoph Buehler made the journey just over a year ago.
Each cyclist has to raise a minimum of £750 with the total split between the two causes.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance serves five million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. It needs to raise £12,000 every day and has just replaced its two, ageing aircraft with new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.
“We are really looking forward to having Karen back on the Pedal for Pounds bike ride this year,” says Katie Collinson, Partnerships Manager from Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
“Karen has been through so much over the last few years and she’s a real inspiration to us all with her grit and determination to not only learn to walk and talk again, but now to join in this epic bike ride.”
If you would like to support Karen go to her JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/P4P8kARENSCHALLENGE For more information on Streetbikes visit www. streetbikes.org.uk
I don’t think I would have survived without the air ambulance.
Karen Brooke, who is cycling from Germany to Huddersfield for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.