The little blue signs which point the way to a windfall for charity

“A postman stopped and chatted with us near Penrith then emptied his pockets of change to give to us.” Just one of the many bittersweet memories held by a family group who, in June, cycled the Coast-to-Coast Sustrans network route, from Whitehaven in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in North Yorkshire — following the little blue signs for 206 miles to raise money for Parkinson’s UK.

Organised by son Ian Pickering, and composed of other family members and a close family friend, it was to mark the passing of parents Aidan and Dorothy (Dot) Pickering. Both were very well known in the Whitby area as farmers and had the milk round for the Egton, Goathland and Grosmont area of North Yorkshire for a number of years.

“The thing that struck us most was the support gathered along the way and how many people’s lives are touched by Parkinson’s,” Ian continued. “People in pubs, cafés, restaurants etc were coming up to us wanting to give sponsorship. In the end we collected over £800 on the ride alone.”

Although dad Aidan had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Dot was determined to keep him home at the cottage they’d lived in for twenty years at Egton near Whitby. However, the effort made extreme demands on her health. The COVID lockdowns were a further drain on her physical and mental health and, after a short illness, she passed away. The family rallied round to keep dad at home and it made them realise the strain put on the carers of loved ones suffering from the disease. Despite their efforts they watched their father’s condition deteriorate suffering loss of mobility, lack of sleep and hallucinations until last March he too passed away.

“Mum and Dad were the cornerstones of our lives and we had to come to terms with the grief of losing them both within a short period of time,” explained Ian. “This is a great way for us to use their memory in a fitting manner. They would have been humbled by the support we garnered in their names.”

A plan was hatched for the commemorative cycle ride and in due course off they set, only to discover that brother Michael’s snoring was epic. The problem was made worse because the accommodation was in bunk barns leading to any number of complaints! On a lighter note, along the way they called in at Ravenseat and had tea with the Yorkshire Shepherdess, Amanda Owen – mum had been a big fan so the occasion was very emotional.

The GoFundMe page – Team P for Parkinson’s – will close shortly but it is not too late to chip in. The original target of £6,000 was quickly achieved and then updated to £10,000 which has been almost doubled to almost £20,000!

An achievement hailed by Kirsty Berrigan and Rebecca Landolt, Heads of Regional Fundraising at Parkinson’s UK;

“We are so grateful to ICL Boulby for taking on this incredible challenge for Parkinson’s UK.

“With more than 40 potential symptoms, Parkinson’s can devastate lives. We’ve made huge breakthroughs in the last 50 years, but there is still no cure and current treatments are not good enough.

“We hope that the teams’ fundraising challenge inspires you to get involved with Parkinson’s UK. There are lots of ways for you to support us – from volunteering at an event, to campaigning for better services. Without the generosity of people like you, our work would not be possible.”

Perhaps you could help get the target over the line and provide much needed funds for a very worthwhile charity?

From left; Graham Pickering; Elaine Pickering (Ian’s wife); Ian Pickering; Francis Pickering; Veronica Porter (sister – nee Pickering); Michael Pickering; Rob Porter (Veronica’s husband); Neil Braithwaite (a cousin who works at Boulby); Harold Cooper (family friend)