Getting in the saddle to help raise cash to help people with dementia
24 men set out on gruelling 75-mile cycling challenge to help project for elderly people
A GROUP of 24 men are preparing for a 75-mile cycling challenge to raise cash for a project for the elderly run by Pompey in the Community.
Work colleagues, friends and family members from across Portsmouth and Plymouth are taking on the 4 Ferry Challenge after owner of Phillips Decorators at Waterlooville, Darren Phillips, wanted to find a new way to keep fit with work colleagues.
The endeavour ‘grew and grew’ from there, with more people eager to take part in aid of Life ‘n’ Chimes, a charity at Fratton Park which helps people living with, or at risk of developing dementia and those who feel socially isolated.
The cycling challenge will see riders catch a ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight, where they will cycle to Cowes and Yarmouth, before getting a ferry back to Lymington to cycle to the New Forest, Southampton and back to Gosport.
They will then return to Portsmouth on the Gosport ferry.
Phillips Decorators workmates, Jamie Graham and Matt Ward, decided the cycling challenge would be an ideal way to do their bit for charity, while supporting family members living with dementia – as both have a parent with the condition.
A group of what was expected to be 10 people has more than doubled thanks to word of mouth and social media.
Matt Ward, whose father has dementia and Alzheimer's disease, said: ‘It’s important because my dad pays a certain amount to the project every week. It’s good, not just for him, but also my step-mum to give them both a bit of respite as well.
‘It's very tiring and it's hard on the partner as much as it is for the person who is actually going to the day care centre.
‘I know they get people in to do activities for them so it goes towards them being able to provide a better service.’