A dedicated set of brothers will complete a 216 mile cycle from Buckingham Palace to Eccles in memory of their late dad.
Andy, Chris and Gary Brown lost their father Harry to motor neurone disease in November 2011, and now hope their pedalling prowess will raise up to £5,000 for a charity which deals with the condition.
Their sports-mad dad would have been proud of his boys’ achievements, with his own sporting highs including beating snooker star John Virgo at a match in Swinton.
Harry passed away three years after he was diagnosed, the brothers and their mum Barbara wish to thank the Motor Neurone Disease Association for all their support – and the mammoth cycle is one way of doing that.
Andy, 36, who gave up booze at the start of the year to help get in shape for the fundraiser, said: “Dad loved his sport so we thought this would be a fitting tribute.
“The Motor Neurone Disease Association provided us with fantastic support and we wanted to do something to thank them and remember dad.”
The Association even adapted Harry’s home in Worsley so he could live there right until the very end.
The cycle will start on Friday May 3 and end on Sunday May 5 at Monton Sports Club, where Harry held the role of treasurer for more than 25 years until January 2010.
Already surpassing their initial £1,500 fundraising target, the brothers are hoping to raise as much as possible in memory of their dad, who was an avid squash and tennis player at the Monton club.
Their efforts have been recognised by Salford and Eccles MP Hazel Blears, who empathises with the brothers as her own mother suffers from dementia.
“This is a tremendous way to pay tribute to a man who was a really popular figure on the local sports scene here in Eccles,” she said.
“It will also raise money for a really good cause.”
“Charities like the Motor Neurone Disease Association can be a real lifeline and any support for their valuable work is to be welcomed.”
Anyone wishing to cheer the boys on can gather at Monton Sports Club on Welbeck Road from 1pm on Sunday May 5, with the cyclists due to arrive at around 2pm.
Donations can be put forward at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/brownbrothers
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
