Coast to coast to help hospice

A BARDSLEY cyclist has used pedal power to raise £2,500 for charity.

Shaun Nolan (37) took part in a gruelling 150-mile ride from St Bees, Cumbria, to Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Yorkshire coast.

The journey normally takes around four hours in a car in good conditions.

But Mr Nolan spent four-days on an off-road adventure in torrential rain with his mountain bike and five friends Paul Travis, Nick Anderson, Nigel Tabbern, Danny McKinley and Jamie Orme.

The six managed to raise more than £2,500 for Dr Kershaw’s Hospice, Royton.

Keen cyclist Mr Nolan, a North-West account manager for furniture components manufacturer Hill Panels Products, said the journey was harder than riding in the Pyrenees.

He said: “This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

“It did nothing but rain for the first two days and there were times when we were riding through fields and the bikes were sinking in mud down to the handlebars.

“The going was very heavy and hilly and I actually found it harder than the time I went altitude cycling in the Pyrenees in southern France.

“We all had a good laugh though and it was well worth it for a good cause like the hospice.”

HPP’s managing director, Stephen Hill, supported Shaun on his journey by lending the group a van and driver for four days to transport their camping equipment.