At 11am on Monday 15 July 2013, Lion Mark Stokes accompanied by his friend Bob Tench set off by bicycle from the West Midlands Marie Curie Hospice in Solihull, intending to ride more than 2,000 miles to Istanbul and the very edge of Europe. For the first 3 days’ cycling in England, they will be joined by friends Steve Broatch and Paul Robinson. In the process they hope to raise through individual sponsorship more than £10,000 for the Solihull hospice – officially opened only last month (June) by His Royal Highness Prince Charles.
All four marathon cyclists have lost near relatives to cancer and received support and assistance from Marie Curie Cancer Care. Bob’s wife, Andrea, was struck down by ovarian cancer only four years ago. Paul’s father spent some of his final weeks in the old Warren Pearl Hospice last November. All four pioneered fund-raising long distance bicycle expeditions many years before most of the big charities became involved: from Lands End to John o’ Groats (the first time for Marie Curie in 1979), San Francisco to New York and Lima to Machu Picchu, amongst many others.
On this occasion the route will take the four from the Marie Curie Hospice in Solihull to Dover, before crossing the English Channel by ferry to France. Thereafter Bob and Mark will travel through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria and hope to arrive in Istanbul on their bicycles at some time during the week commencing Monday 12 August.
Bob is a retired systems analyst, Mark, Paul and Steve retired police officers who served at Solihull police station. Mark is also a member of Shirley Lions Club which has given generously to Marie Curie over the years and so it was fitting that the quartet were set off on their epic journey by Shirley Lions President, Gillian Conlon.
None of the money raised will be used to fund the cost of this bicycle expedition, all of which is being financed by the guys themselves.
To follow the progress of this bicycle expedition check them out at www.istanbulorbust2013.blogspot.co.uk.
And if anyone would like to sponsor the dynamic quartet on their gruelling quest in support of the Marie Curie West Midlands Hospice, they can do so at www.justgiving.com/istanbulorbust2013.