On Sunday, in deep snow, Lee Parker along with two friends Dave Dewdney and Adrian Colin Wickham rode 26 miles from Crawley to Brighton to raise funds for FSID.
(L-R) Adrian, Dave & Lee set off
Lee told us “I did the bike ride in memory of my little nephew Eddie who passed away of cot death last year. I’m donating the funds raised to a charity called FSID who do research into the cause of cot death”.
(L-R) Adrian, Lee & Dave
Lee had planned the journey for some time but of course, did not expect it to snow around 6 inches the night before his charity bike ride. This did not stop him and his friends and at 9am they set off from the the football stadium in Crawley. Lee told us “it was very hard going and we were very cold. It didn’t help with the cars spraying slush all over us as they passed, so we ended up being quite wet at the same time. We stopped off along the way to warm up, having a well deserved beverage in a quaint public house”.
Lee topping up on his iron intake along the way
“We have, so far, raised around £400. I am really pleased with this as every little counts to this charity. All money donated goes a long way to helping them with their research into cot death”.
The cars threw slush all over them as they passed
Some cot death statics are that more than three hundred babies die suddenly and unexpectedly every year in the UK. Since parents and carers have been following the risk reduction advice, the number of babies dying has fallen by over 70%. To know more about statistics please visit the FSID website here.
The young men made the journey to Brighton in four hours. This was not a bad time considering most fot he journey was either in the snow or drenched from the slush. Lee told us “we loved it and are considering riding from France back to Crawley next year…we will have to see”.
(L-R) Lee holding a sketch of baby Eddie, Dave & Adrian after completing their 26 mile bike ride to Brighton
Great effort and well done to Lee, Dave and Adrian. If you would like to still make a donation to FSID via Lee’s fund raising effort you can still do via Lee’s JustGiving Page here.
Sign up to the Crawley Happy Times for all the latest news.
