Ryan rides again to raise funds for local people

‘Big Ry’ and his big-hearted pals weren’t content with doing a charity bike ride from South Shore to Fleetwood last week – they did it twice to raise money for different causes, topping £1,500 in all.

Ry was joined on both rides from Starr Gate to Fleetwood Town Football Club by his good friends Ryan Grainger and Matty Askin, the former British boxing champion.

Money from the first ride will boost Kirkham boxer Bill Hodgson’s 24-hour tyre challenge fund.

Bill recently spent an entire day flipping a 28st tyre for three local causes. His feat has so far raised more than £7,500 for Kirkham food bank, for Clint Grieve (a fellow boxer who has been paralysed) and for Matthew Savage-Grattan, a Blackpool boy with a rare cancer who Ry has also raised money for.

The second cycle ride was undertaken to boost funds for Blackpool man Lee Howick, a father-of-two from North Shore with stage four cancer which spread from his bowels. Lee has undergone emergency brain surgery to remove two tumours.

Lee’s story was recently featured in The Gazette, when his eight-year-old son James-Lee undertook a series of 33 daily challenges to raise money for his dad’s treatment (33 being Lee’s age next birthday). That fundraiser has so far topped £30,000.

We may not all have Big Ry’s talent for raising money but we can join him in giving what we can

Pages on www.gofundme.com are still open for donations: You can access Bill Hodgson's here. or the Howick family’s here.