David Hayes, 56, from St Martins, has just successfully completed a 230 miles bike ride from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, spending approximately 7 hours each day cycling. David was part of a team of 25, all raising money for the Nightingale House Hospice, which provides free of charge end of life care. Since their return on 26 November, the group have collectively raised over £120,000, which will pay for over four full time palliative care nurses for two years or covers two full weeks running of the hospice.
Incredibly, David suffers from Type 2 Diabetes but all the training has kept him fit and healthy, with plenty of cycling, running and gym time. David’s reasons for supporting this charity lie in his personal journey. He tragically lost his wife Joan to breast cancer in October 2017 and during his darkest time he spotted an advert in the Nightingale café for the trek over the Great Wall of China. Since then, he hasn’t looked back with the fundraising for the charity that helped his wife so much. David continues the business he had with his wife Joan, J A Milton Upholstery Supplies, which completed its thirtieth year during 2019.
When asked about his most memorable moments from the trip, David told us about the Mekong; “We stopped for water breaks at Temples and children were let out of school there to say hello. We took crayons, pencils, balloons and power balls to give away, which they were so thankful for and loved.
“Everyone seemed to wear old football shirts. I had years of old Man City tops gathering dust in my cupboard, so I took them and gave them away along the journey, they loved them.”
They also had the opportunity to see the ‘killing fields’ in Cambodia, which David assures us, was a harrowing and tough visit. Congratulations David for completing this challenge.
If you would like to donate to the hospice, please visit David’s page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/DavidHayes383kmcycle2019
