Five dads from the Heatons raise money for The Christie with epic cycle ride

Five dads from the Heatons donned their Lycra for the Manchester to Blackpool Bike Ride this month in aid of The Christie charity.

Backed by Hall Brown – a boutique family law firm based in Manchester, London and Sheffield – the 40-something year olds formulated a team called ‘Fat 40s Riding’, which includes local dads James Brown, Duncan McAuley, Andrew Kinder, Martin Hanson and Darren Divine-Hayes.

The quintet began riding together at the start of the year in lockdown and were keen to embark on a cycling challenge in support of a worthy cause.

So, The Christie Manchester to Blackpool Bike Ride covering 60-miles, which is also the charity’s largest cycling event, seemed the perfect challenge.

“Sport for me brought about some light relief during the long lockdown months, as I’m sure it did for many people,” said James Brown, part of the five-man team, as well as co-founder and managing partner at Hall Brown.

“As fellow dads we took this time to meet for a weekly cycle, up our fitness levels and ultimately enjoy some social interaction. 

“We’ve known each other for some time now given that our children all attend local junior schools, and some of us also coach at Heaton Moor Rugby Club.

“After a few months of team cycling under our belts, we felt ready to take on a challenge.

“Given that a number of the Hall Brown team have been affected by cancer, The Christie seemed like a very fitting cause for us to champion.”

Starting from The Piazza at MediaCityUK, Salford, the ‘Fat 40s Riding’ team cycled along country lanes to the finish on the South Promenade at Blackpool, the furthest they’ve cycled together to date. 

Money raised from the event is utilised to provide inspiration and hope to cancer patients and their families, as well as helping to carry out more research, give more people the very best treatment and care – and save even more lives.

“Despite it being more than double the distance of our usual rides, we made it to the end and had a truly fantastic day,” said James.

“It was brilliantly organised and thankfully a fairly flat course too. 

“We’re delighted to have helped support and raise over £3,000 for this fantastic charity. 

“Bring on the next challenge!”