Midlands business adviser Dave Darlaston has raised £1,500 following a Stratford to Stratford cycle ride.
A partner at the Midlands office of national audit, tax and advisory firm Crowe Clark Whitehill, he called on all his pedal power for the 122 miles from Stratford, East London to Stratford-upon-Avon – with a split of 56 miles on day one and 66 miles on day two, starting at the Olympic village and stopping overnight at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the birthplace of the Paralympic Games.
A total of 60 people took part, including Dave’s wife Anne.
“It was hard graft,” said Dave. “But hugely enjoyable too.
“I was determined to complete it and make a small contribution to others very much in need of help, especially as my stepson is currently serving in Afghanistan.”
He was supporting the Fisher House Fund, part of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham’s (QEHB) charity – Crowe Clark Whitehill’s Midlands chosen charity for the year.
QEHB is the receiving hospital for all UK military patients who are wounded or injured anywhere in the world and most particularly in the on-going Afghanistan conflict.
Fisher House is under construction as a ‘home from home’ where troops can spend time away from the ward with their families, friends and colleagues, who in turn can be on the spot without having to make often long and tiring journeys from home on a regular basis.
The purpose-built two storey £4.2 million facility is being funded by the QEHB charity in partnership with ‘Help for Heroes’ and ‘America’s Fisher House Foundation’ for whom it is a first venture into the UK.
It is hoped that the building, which includes 18 en-suite rooms, will be ready to open in March 2013.