Eight North Devon women to cycle 1,000 miles for Families in Grief charity

Eight intrepid  women are cycling nearly 1,000 miles across the country to raise money for local charity Families in Grief.

Two years ago, Westward Ho! local Louise Harris smashed the world record for cycling from Land’s End to John o’ Groats and back, completing the challenge in just over 10 days and shaving a whopping 32 hours off the previous record. 

A sports development professional who runs Mojo Tri Club, she raised over £20,000 for charity during her endeavor. And now she has inspired eight friends – all members of Mojo – to follow in her footsteps.

On July 4, Nat Bennett, Claire Harris, Heather Cooper, Clare Capper, Emma Lobbett, Helen Dinnage, Mabel Edge and Hayley Charlesworth will be setting off from Land’s End and hope to cover the 1,000-mile cycle to John o’ Groats over just nine days, cycling up to 125 miles a day. 

The route represents a huge challenge for the women, with many of them training up to 20 hours a week in order to prepare for the journey. But they’re excited to be setting out on the once-in-a-lifetime adventure — and raising funds for a local good cause along the way.

The women are using the challenge as an opportunity to support Families in Grief, a Barnstaple-based charity that helps bereaved children, young people and their families across North Devon and Torridge. 

Through a combined programme of one-to-one support, group sessions, and activity days, FiG — as they are known in the community — supports children and young people to understand and move forwards with their grief. 

“Families in Grief is a wonderful local charity close to many hearts,” Natalie said. 

“And we’re really excited to be supporting them through this challenge. If you’ve ever sat on a bike for a few hours then tried to get back on the next day, you’ll know what we’re likely to be feeling by day five, never mind thousands of feet of climbing later in the Scottish Highlands.” 

She added: “Thanks to some generous donations we’ve already raised almost £2,000, but we’d love to raise even more.”

In the UK, a parent of a child under 18 dies every 22 minutes, which means approximately 11 children are bereaved of a parent every single day. 

In fact, one in 29 school-aged children have experienced a significant bereavement – that’s a child in every class.

Families in Grief or ‘FiG’ (as they are known in the local community) helps children, young people, and their families after the death of someone close to them. They provide tailored bereavement support including one-to-one visits and group support at school and other settings — along with a range of other activities — to enable young people and their families to connect, support each other, and understand their feelings.

 For more information on how Families in Grief can support bereaved children, young people and their families please go online and visit www.familiesingrief.org

Supporters wishing to follow the Mojo crew on their journey can follow them on their daily blog and donations can be made online at https://localgiving.org/fundraising/Mojo-Lands-End-to-John-O-Groats