When Richard Brown was turned down from joining the military, he was determined to show his strength by supporting wounded veterans while honouring the memory of his grandfather in an epic fundraising challenge for Help for Heroes.
Last summer he took on the incredible challenge of swimming the length of 12 stretches of water in the Lake District, this year he’s attempting to cycle the John O’ Groats to Land’s End route with a twist.
Together with his best friend Jakeem Addman, they’ll be dressed as Second World War soldiers and riding replica 1940s bikes, while swapping their bikes for boots when they take on the National Three Peaks Challenge.
They set off from the famous sign in John O’ Groats on July 27 and will cross the Scottish Border on their 70-mile cycle from Lockerbie to Ambleside on Wednesday (Aug 4) before climbing Scafell Pike on Thursday and then cycling from Ambleside to Liverpool on Friday.
Richard, 26, from Prestwich in Manchester, said: “I always wanted to serve and I tried all three services but as I teenager I suffered from OCD and anorexia and despite battling to get in and going through the appeal process, I was unsuccessful.
“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 the 10-year 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.
“Last year did my first open water swim in the Lakes for Help for Heroes – and completed all 12 stretches of water over seven days, a total of 50 miles! It was gruelling but I proved to myself exactly 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.”
Help for Heroes relies on the generosity of the public for the majority of its funding and saw a loss of approximately 75 per cent to its income from national collections during 2020 as a result of the pandemic.
This year, Richard will be accompanied on his epic challenge of more than 1,000 miles over 20 days from the tip to the toe of Great Britain by his best friend, Jakeem, 23, from London, a former army cadet and professional abseiler for an engineering firm.
They met whilst studying for an Outdoor Leadership degree at the University of Cumbria and are looking forward to taking in the stunning scenery whilst contending with their replica World War Two bikes’ basic brakes and uncomfortable saddle as well as wearing woollen uniforms in the height of summer.
Along the route they will pass military bases and war memorials to pay their respects as well as climbing Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England and Snowdon in Wales – with a total ascent of 3,064m.
Richard added: “We are hoping to push ourselves through a big challenge to try and capture that great British spirit of no matter how hard it is, have a laugh about it, have a cup of tea and crack on with a smile on your face.”
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.”
The fundraising event will raise money for Help for Heroes and Mind. To donate to Help for Heroes visit: www.justgiving.com/team/ride-4-heroes
