A Kelbrook boy and three Barnoldswick friends were part of a team of 10 which has raised £20,000 in memory of a much-loved Sough man.
Eight-year-old Finn Robinson, of Dotcliffe Road, Kelbrook, bid the team bon voyage as the group cycled from London to Paris earlier this month to raise money for St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds in memory of his dad Adam Robinson.
Adam, a luthier who repaired guitars and stringed instruments, died from a rare form of cancer in May 2012 and his brothers Gareth (41), of Park Road, Barnoldswick, and Neil (40), of Lower East Avenue, Barnoldswick, and their friend Ben Hoyle (34) of Brogden Lane, Barnoldswick, set off from Crystal Palace on July 3rd to complete the 500km, or 310 mile, four-day journey.
The group were part of 130 cyclists doing the route for various causes, and enjoyed stopping points in Calais, Abbeville and Beauvais along the way before rolling into one of Europe’s capitals of culture for the finish line where they were greeted by friends and family.
One chain, two spokes, and 14 punctures later, the group in total has raised almost £25,000 with the Barnoldswick trio who travelled across the channel contributing just shy of £7,000 towards that, with money still to be collected.
Neil said: “It has gone better than we could have anticipated. It has been a very worthwhile and memorable challenge. It is something I think we would definitely consider doing again.
“We stopped off in some lovely towns and beautiful villages on the way. Then riding into Paris was brilliant.
“We headed down towards the Arc de Triomphe and the traffic was stopped and the cars must have been four or five deep. That was quite an experience.
“We made our way to the Eiffel Tower and 130 cyclists in total was quite a spectacle.
“It was mixed emotions at the finish. We were happy we had completed the challenge but obviously sad for the reasons behind it.
“I would just like to say a big thank you to everybody who has sponsored us, helped us out at fund-raisers and those who have put a lot of time and effort in helping us get to the position we have reached.”
You can still donate by visiting http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/adam.robinson1