by Rebecca Hannant
A Withernsea man has continued his bid to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital with his “most ambitious” challenge to date.
Avid cyclist Chris Rowse, manager at McColl’s in Withernsea, embarked on a cycle challenge through Holderness and Yorkshire.
Chris’s fifth 24-hour challenge saw him set off from the Withernsea store on Saturday, September 3, at 10.30am, before heading through south-west Holderness, Hull, the East Riding and North Yorkshire.
Throughout his journey Chris encountered many challenges including tiredness, mental strain and hunger – although his biggest setback came at 3am as his headlights malfunctioned, plunging him into near-darkness with the only light source coming from the supporting car driven by his fiancée Michelle.
At 4am, with his lights back in full working order, he continued his challenge, heading back to the finish line at the Withernsea McColl’s store on Sunday, September 4, at 10.30am.
He completed a total of 282.72 miles in 24 hours and raised more than £1,000 with donations still coming in. Despite having no official webpage for donations, Chris says that all the money raised has come through word of mouth.
He said: “When I set my target at 1K for this year’s Tour de McColl’s I thought it was an ambitious one, especially when you consider the current financial situation in the country. But once again I have been blown away by the generosity of the customers.
“I’d like to thank everyone who sponsored me, but a special thank you to Chrissy at the Spread Eagle for her donation, Nav Lidhar, proprietor and staff at Hawthorn House Hedon, and the lady and gentleman who stopped me at 1am in Hornsea for their donation and best wishes.
“I’d also like to thank my fiancée Michelle for being my guiding light for part of the night (especially when my lights failed), Dave Townend for producing my sponsor forms and posters, and last but not least my management and staff for your support, kind words and donations.”
You can still donate to the cause by speaking to staff at the McColl’s store in Withernsea.
