At 8.30am on Saturday 16th June Bruce set off from Hoylake Lifeboat Station with his Dad and cycled all the way to Mickle Trafford!
He was hoping to raise £250 towards the £25,000 cost for the new MUGA (multi-use games area) at his school by cycling 25 miles. He ended up raising more than £730 and actually cycled 27 miles. With snack stops and lunch included the journey took more than 6 hours to complete.
Heres a short video with highlights from the day and a ‘thank you message’ to everyone:
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Frodsham Manor House has been actively raising funds towards a new MUGA for some time now. Bruce and his family decided they wanted to help as he enjoys outdoor activities very much. Bruce is currently in Reception class and hopes it will be completed soon so he and all his fellow school pupils will make lots of use of the new games area for many years.
Bruce learned to ride a bike when he was 4 years old, back in January 2018. He has since been keen to spend as much time on 2 wheels as he can. He quickly outgrew the quiet cul-de-sac where he lives in Frodsham and wanted to cycle further and explore the world close by. The nearest network of safe traffic free cycle routes are in Runcorn, and Chester where on Station Lane in Mickle Trafford the Chester Greenway ends.
After many weekends out cycling in Chester with his Dad and sister, travelling further each time, his Mum who was amazed by the distances he was riding suggested he put his ability to good use. His parents approached Mr Devereux-Roberts, headteacher at Bruce’s school, with a plan to ride from Hoylake to Mickle Trafford and he thought it was a great idea.
His parents went ahead and started gathering support and sponsorship with help from friends who suggested setting up a JustGiving page. Following a few posts on social media, word passed round to friends, family and fellow cyclists at local clubs Frodsham Wheelers and Runcorn Cycle Club support for Bruce gather momentum. Donations started to come in thick and fast will lots of messages of encouragement.
Bruce would like to say a big thank you to everyone who donated, especially Helen Lord at Used Kitchen Exchange who donated a whopping £100 🙂
The big day came soon and it was an early start on a breezy fresh Saturday morning on June 16th. Bruce was driven to Hoylake with his Mum, Dad and sister Libby ready for an 8am start. Slightly later than planned, at 8.40am, Bruce and his Dad set off along the promenade heading west towards West Kirby.
A quick snack stop at Ashton Park in West Kirby and he was back on his bike heading south along the Wirral Way, route 89 on the National Cycle Network. The first of two crashes of the day came just after Cubbins Green, there were a few tears but Bruce was soon bravely back on his bike pedalling onwards.
There was a cool breeze and showers in the distance so Bruce’s next snack stop was sheltered under Delavor Road bridge in Lower Heswall. Onwards past Gayton to Parkgate and Neston where in Little Neston they picked up the NCR 568 to Burton Marsh. The first mile or so of the 568 took them along residential streets, past the Harp Inn and back on to a traffic free route to Nets Cafe where they stopped for a well deserved lunch with Mum and sister.
After a little more than hour at Nets Cafe they bid farewell to Mum and sister once water and snack stocks were replenished. The sun was shining by now but Bruce had to endure a strong headwind across Burton Marsh. They negotiated there way through Deeside Industrial Estate, had a quick snack stop then back into the headwind to Hawarden Bridge looking out for trains and more snacks.
The second crash of the day came shortly after Bruce tried to race with train alongside the bike path. The train won and Bruce soon fell off the bike grazing his ankle. A few more tears then back on the bike, along the Chester Greenway towards Dragon Bridge which he raced over going full gas. A quick snack stop at the other side of the bridge then onto the 4 mile straight in Sealand back over the border to England and into Blacon.
By now Bruce had cycled over 20 miles and he was starting to feel tired. A few more words of encouragement was all he needed to power on through Chester to Newton and up the hill towards Mickle Trafford. Thankfully they had a nice tail wind for the last 6 miles, not that Bruce had noticed though, his legs were almost empty!
Were pleased to say Bruce made it all the way to the end of the Greenway, under his own power. At Meadow Lea Farm Coffee shop his Mum and sister were waiting to take him back to Frodsham for a take away at the Chinese Delight.
A huge thank you to everyone who supported Bruce and helped him raise over £730 for his school!
