Two fundraisers cycling an extended version of the John O’Groats to Land’s End route were rescued by a “life-saver” mechanic in Inverness.
Raising funds for veteran charity Help for Heroes, friends Richard Brown and Jakeem Addman decided to undertake a mammoth 1,000 mile challenge – which includes both cycling the length of the country and climbing Ben Nevis in between.
Setting off from John O’ Groats on Tuesday dressed as Second World War soldiers to honour the memory of Mr Brown’s grandfather, the pair found themselves making a few detours due to bad weather and mechanical problems with their 1940s bikes.
‘We can’t thank him enough’
Arriving in Inverness on Thursday morning, Inverness mechanic “Leo the Lion” came to the pair’s rescue – repairing their breaks and giving the bikes a full service to ensure they would withstand the rest of their epic journey.
Mr Brown said: “The first bike shop we contacted was fully booked. We then rang Ness Bikes who were closed due to Covid, but when we explained we were doing this for charity, they said they would ring us back.
“They told us to go and meet Leo, who knew everything about bikes – he stripped it down, sorted the brakes and pretty much gave the bike a full service so we could continue our journey.
“Leo was a total life-saver and we can’t thank him and Ness Bikes enough.”
It meant that Mr Brown and Mr Addman could continue on for 100 miles from Inverness to Fort Augustus, before arriving at the Ben Nevis Holiday Park in the evening, where owners allowed them to bed down for free.
In the morning, the determined fundraisers then swapped their cycles for walking boots, embarking on Scotland’s highest peak – Ben Nevis.
They also hope to conquer both Scafell Pike in England and Snowdon in Wales on their lengthy trip, while stopping off at military bases and war memorials to pay their respects along the way.
The men, aged 23 and 26, hope to complete their 20 day adventure in Land’s End on August 15, having climbed 3065m to fundraise for both Help for Heroes and mental health charity Mind.
With a fundraising goal of £2,000, the pair have already received over £900 on their JustGiving page.
Military dreams
Manchester born Mr Brown, said that he had always dreamt of serving in the military, but due to suffering from both OCD and anorexia as a teenager, his application was unsuccessful.
He said: “I decided if I couldn’t join them, I might as well do what I can to try and help them. I had been training constantly for the past 10 years in preparation for joining the military, however after my decade long appeal battle finally came to an end last year, I thought I might as well put all this effort and training into good use, and that’s where the idea for doing a challenge started.
“It was gruelling but I proved to myself what I could achieve. I thought about what my grandad, Peter Cooper, who served in the Parachute Regiment had been through in the Second World War and that put the physical and mental strength I had to find into perspective.”
Trevor Fudger, area fundraising manager at Help for Heroes, said: “We would like to thank Richard and Jakeem for what they are doing to help veterans and their families across the UK through their amazing challenge.
“And a huge shout-out to Ness Bikes and Leo in Inverness for saving the day.”