From coast to coast to support hospice

READY to ride. . . Warren Flaherty and some of the coast-to-coast cyclists at Dovestone Reservoir

A SADDLEWORTH man is taking part in a gruelling 147-mile bike ride to raise funds for a hospice which made his father’s final wish come true.

Warren Flaherty (38), from Dobcross, has helped to organise the three-day coast-to-coast ride to raise money for Dr Kershaw’s Hospice.

His father Paul Flaherty, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer three years ago, spent five weeks at the hospice last year before he died at home in February, aged 63.

Warren said it was down to the care he received at the hospice that his father was able to achieve his dream — walking daughter Laura, Warren’s sister, down the aisle on her wedding day last December.

Warren, whose mother Carol (64) has also been battling cancer for the past 20 years, said: “From his initial diagnosis, the cancer was really aggressive, which was a new thing for our family because of mum’s battle.

“One of his wishes was to walk his daughter down the aisle and he did it, with me standing close behind him.

“It was quite an emotional thing.

“The staff at Dr Kershaw’s were absolutely fantastic so my whole family decided to do something.

“We were amazed to find out it costs £4,700 a day to run the hospice.”

A total of 50 family and friends, whose lives have also been touched by cancer, have signed up for the bike ride on May 7 from Whitehaven, on the Cumbrian coast line, through the Lake District and towards Tynemouth, on the North East coast.

With just a fortnight to go, the team, whose main sponsor is Ontime Interiors, are stepping up their training and looking to boost donations.

Father-of-two Warren, an operations manager for an internet security firm said: “Out of the 50 lads, just two or three go cycling. Most of us have never ridden a bike since our teens.

“On our first training trip around Hollingworth Lake in Rochdale, we had four punctures, a snapped chain, two cyclist had to push their bikes homes and one was taken to accident and emergency with a 4in gash to his shin.

“But we are really looking forward to it and are determined to complete the 50 miles a day.”

For more information visit www.c2cforkershaws.co.uk and to make a donation go to www.justgiving.com/c2c-for-kershaws