Three young cyclists are cranking up their fundraising as they prepare to ride for a good cause.
Andrew Lunn, 11, Marcus Weston, 13 and James Lunn, 13, are already approaching the first £1,000.
Andrew, from Trinity Academy Richmond, and his brother James, from Richmond School, are planning to ride 275 miles in five days in the first week of August.
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They hope to raise £5,000 for the hospice by cycling from Richmond in Surrey to Richmond in North Yorkshire.
The money will go to The Northern Echo’s Backing the Butterwick campaign.
Marcus, also from Richmond School, has cardio facio cutaneous syndrome and rides an adapted tricycle. He aims to ride 30 miles spread over the month of August.
The boys were mobilised after reading about the plight of the Butterwick Hospice which fell victim to fraud by the organisation’s former chief executive.
Donations to the hospice, which comforts and cares for terminally ill adults and children at bases in Stockton and Bishop Auckland, dropped by around £100,000 following the arrest of Graham Leggatt-Chidgey, who was sentenced to four years for fraud in June.
James and Andrew both sing in church choirs in Richmond and Durham.
He said: “We were already thinking about an adventure on our bikes in the summer break. We were upset to read about what had happened to the hospice and decided to help by raising funds through our ride. Our slogan for the ride is ‘Do good, undo harm’.”
Andrew and James’ father Scott is head of maths at Richmond School and Sixth Form College. He said: “The boys were genuinely moved when they read about what had happened at the Butterwick Hospice and wanted to help.
“They attend St Mary’s Church in Richmond so have good community, school and church links and know people who have benefited from the love and care the hospice offers.”
Click here to help the cyclists.
