Ben Griffiths, from Urmston aged 32, is taking on an extraordinary challenge in memory of his grandad who was cared for by St Ann’s Hospice.
Ben is taking on a 117 mile bike ride from Manchester to Abersoch with a twist – he’s riding as Eliot with E.T in the basket of his bike!
This incredible challenge is taking place in memory of Ben’s Grandad, Len Morris, who was at the hospice earlier this year for a few weeks.
Len died on Monday 30th January at St Ann’s Hospice’s Heald Green site after celebrating his 84th birthday in the hospice. He was there for end-of-life treatment due to being ill from T-cell lymphoma that had developed into skin cancer.
“I told my Grandad whilst he was in the hospice that I was going to take on the challenge with E.T in my basket and he just laughed. I’m known for doing weird and wonderful things so he wasn’t too shocked but was so pleased and happy I will be raising money for the hospice.”
So far Ben has raised just over £2000, which is the target he originally set, but wants to raise more so that his donation to the charity can be even greater.
“Come rain or shine I’ll be setting off at 5am with E.T to complete the challenge! I have cycled this route before and raised money for charity, but I wanted to make it harder for myself for the people who work tirelessly at the hospice.”
“I saw what everyone goes through at St Ann’s Hospice on a daily basis, so I want to really challenge myself and push myself out of my comfort zone.”
Ben is an avid cyclist and in the past trained for time trials, but when his grandad got progressively more ill, he lost interest in cycling.
“These patients, nurses and doctors so much I feel it’s only fair that I raise the stakes for this bike ride. So, to make things difficult, I will be riding a £20, 1970’s, 3 speed Raleigh shopper for 189km up 2150m of elevation.”
“None of my family are that surprised I’ve taken on this challenge – I’ve always chosen to do wacky things although I’ve never done anything in fancy dress before!”
“My family are all really supportive, there were many nurses that my grandad was fond of and everyone at the hospice provided us with so much support.”
Lots of Ben’s family and friends will be with him on the day. “My cousin will be driving alongside me to help with any technical problems if they arise, and my friends who are riding alongside me are there to keep me going too. My sister is also meeting us to ride the last 10km – it’s brilliant that everyone around me is getting stuck in too!”
“The last time I did a charity bike ride I raised just over £1000, so hopefully with E.T I can triple that. My aim is to raise as much money as possible for St Ann’s Hospice, for all the care they gave my grandad and thousands of other people.”
Ben is also promising that in reaching his £2000 target, in 2024 he will do the everesting challenge. “Everesting is where you choose a hill of your choice and ride up and down repetitively until your elevation gain equals the same amount as Mount Everest. One of the main rules is that riders aren’t allowed to sleep so it would be my greatest challenge!”
To donate to Ben and support him with his incredible challenge, his JustGiving page can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/
