HERE COME THE BIKES!
Small Faces stage stars in 300-mile charity ride
CAST members of a musical showing in Cardiff cycled more than 300 miles to the North East of England in snow and rain straight after the last of a string of performances – arriving just in time for the next leg of their tour five days later.
The four cyclists – all with links to the stage production All or Nothing: A Mod Musical, celebrating the music of the Small Faces – took on the huge challenge to raise money for charity.
Their chosen charity was the MS Society and they did it in memory of the Small Faces’ bass player Ronnie Lane, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the late 1970s and lived with the condition for 21 years before his death in 1997.
His son Reuben Lane took on the 325-mile challenge to ride to Billingham, Teesside, along with cast members Josh Maddison, Joseph Peters and friend of the cast Alice Veitch.
The group have smashed their fundraising target of £3,000.
They set off from Cardiff immediately after the final show at the New Theatre on November 5.
Battling snow, torren- tial rain, and freezing cold weather, the quartet made it to the North East for the final shows, which started on Thursday evening in Billingham.
Josh, who played keyboardist Ian McLagan in the show, said: “The weather was the biggest challenge.
“Wednesday was the hardest day, as we cycled through snow and sleet. I put four pairs of socks on but my feet were absolutely soaking within minutes and my fingers and toes were numb.”
Speaking ahead of Thursday’s performance he said: “I’m exhausted but I’m hoping my legs keep me standing.
“But it’s all been for such a fantastic cause. You realise from getting involved with it just how many people have MS.”
Pat Davey, the show’s musical supervisor, who drove the van alongside the cyclists, said: “I said they should call it off on Wednesday because the conditions were so bad but they had none of it.”
To donate to the cause visit www.justgiving. com/fundraising/all-ornothing-cycle-2016