We want to say an enormous thank you to an incredible young supporter, James Andrew, aged just 10, who has cycled a full 26.2-mile marathon around his local Shropshire villages to raise money for Hope House Children’s Hospices.

James, who lives in Knockin Heath and attends Bicton Primary School, took on the challenge in honour of his great granddad, John Beddoes, who was one of Hope House’s founding trustees and an early fundraiser instrumental in helping to raise the £1.5 million needed to build our hospice back in 1995.

A Family Legacy

James raised a fantastic £633 by cycling through local villages including Nesscliffe, Melverley, and Kinnerley—with no gears on his bike! His mum, Lucy, cycled alongside him and shared:

“We biked a marathon (26.2 miles) down the lanes from our home going through many local villages including Nesscliffe, Melverley and Kinnerley.

“Although we planned the route to minimise the number of hills as James doesn't have gears on his bike, it was still very hard work.

“James chose Hope House as his charity to carry on the legacy of his great grandpa John Beddoes. He was a trustee of Hope House and was one of the first fundraisers who helped to raise the £1.5 million required to build Hope House back in 1995.

“Inspired by his great grandpa, James has chosen to support Hope House to carry on the family legacy of helping this amazing charity.

“It would have been his 100th birthday in April of this year, so it gave even more significance to doing something in his honour.

“A massive thank you to everyone that supported us and helped us to raise so much money. James and I were amazed by the faith everyone showed in us to complete this challenge. The money raised really did help us keep the pedals turning during training and on the day.”

Dedication And A Big Heart

We are so touched that James chose to support Hope House and honour his family’s legacy in such a meaningful way. His dedication and big heart will help us continue to be here for every local child with a life-threatening condition and their families.

Hope House fundraiser Vicky Bradbeer said:

“It costs £10 million a year to run the services at our hospices, with no charge ever made to families for accessing our services.

“We can only be here for the children and families that need us the most thanks to the wonderful support of supporters like James and his mum Lucy.

“To cycle a marathon with such little legs is amazing and I would like to say a huge thank you to James for taking on such an amazing effort and raising a wonderful amount of money.”

Feeling Inspired By James’s Story? 

You can take on your own cycling challenge this summer by signing up for our Cycle100 challenge in August.

Cycle100 Challenge

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