Tired, but satisfied (From Penarth Times)

Tired, but satisfied

SIX fearless locals who cycled 270 miles from North Wales to Penarth look set to raise £3,500 for Marie Curie Cancer Care, Holme Tower.

The cyclists, two of whom work at Holme Tower and four who are South Wales Police officers, began the mammoth task last Monday in Holyhead and finished on Friday, September 7 at Holme Tower.

The ride was the brainchild of staff nurse Brian Thomas 12 months ago. He said: "We did quite a lot of training, all apart from Carole Marsh who works in the Holme Tower office. She agreed to take part two days before, when someone was unable to do it."

The other cyclists were police officers Gary John (Bridgend headquarters), Dave Hancock (Schools Liaison Officer), Jonathan Hughes (Dog Section) and Jonathan Nelson (Fairwater CID).

Also playing a vital role were Brian's wife Becky Thomas, a ward sister at Holme Tower, and Marian Denson, who both drove the support vehicle which followed the cyclists and provided them with food and drink.

Brian said: "It was tiring, and we're exhausted now, but the nights were good. Every night we went out to two pubs, taking a bucket with us.

"I was surprised by the amount of money people were putting in. After all nights out, we came back with £500 in the bucket, and $23, approximately £14.80, after meeting two American women."

Although the final amount raised has not been collected yet, Brian estimates it will be about £3,500. Staff at Holme Tower plan to use the money to buy a special hospital bed with a pressure-relieving mattress for cancer patients. The equipment will be a first for the centre.

And Brian, who celebrated his fifth wedding anniversary with Becky on the final day of the ride, is already planning for next year, when he hopes to organise a ride through Ireland.