Three people have completed an epic cycle ride to raise money for a Welsh hospital that cared for their dear friend. Diana Davies, her daughter Lisa Mitchell, and Lisa's partner Huw Davies cycled from Paris to their home in Burry Port, covering more than 320 miles in a week.
Fundraising for Ward 9
In April this year, Sonia Thomas died after suffering a stroke. She had been married to her husband Geoff for 59 years. The couple, from Burry Port, would have celebrated their 60th anniversary this year. "She was a partner for life," said her husband Geoff.
When Sonia became ill, she was treated and looked after at Ward 9 in Llanelli's Prince Philip Hospital - a specialist acute stroke and rehabilitation unit. She died at the hospital on April 22 at the age of 82.
The Paris to Burry Port challenge
Her long-time friend Diana Davies and her daughter Lisa Mitchell came up with a plan to say thanks to Ward 9 - to cycle from Paris to their home in Burry Port. Together with Lisa's partner Huw Davies, they travelled to the French capital by train and ferry and made their way back home on their bikes. It took them a week, returning home on Wednesday, July 29.
"We've done sponsored rides before, including last year when we planned a shorter trip to London and we raised quite a bit of money for Tenovus. So this year we were already planning to do something but we hadn't decided what we were going to raise money for. So after what happened to Sonia we decided it was a no brainer. We wanted to raise funds for the hospital ward that looked after her," Diana said.
A meaningful journey
The trip included cycling more than 120 miles from Paris to Le Havre, then a ferry to Portsmouth, then cycling more than 200 miles home to Burry Port. "It was my daughter's idea, not mine!" laughed Diana. "She said 'do you fancy going to Paris and then cycling home?' I just thought 'wow'. We really enjoyed it and we made some wonderful memories. I always wanted to go to Stonehenge so we factored that in on the route between Portsmouth and Devizes - that was my most painful day! There were so many climbs, and I'm not a brilliant cyclist. But that didn't matter. Even though it hurt a bit I still enjoyed it."
Diana, Lisa and Huw have raised more than £3,000 for Ward 9. That means the world to Sonia's husband, as does the fact that it was done in his wife's memory. "It's absolutely fantastic," said Geoff. "The gesture is just overwhelming. I know my wife would have been so proud, and I can't think of a better place to raise money for than Ward 9 at Prince Philip Hospital. It was a brilliant idea, and it's a hell of an achievement for a 72-year-old. It's no mean feat and it's amazing that they were able to do it."
