Dan Crook from WWF Cymru cycled the length of Wales to raise money for Morriston coronary care unit in Swansea. The 213 mile journey started from Holyhead and finished in Cardiff.
The cycle ride was done in memory of his late father-in-law, Jeff Adams, who was treated at Morriston coronary care unit in Swansea last year. Sadly, Jeff died aged 84 from coronary heart disease just two weeks before Dan and Jeff’s daughter Polly got married.
Dan, Polly, and her brother Henry decided to do something in his memory and help others at the same time. This ride was part of a whole year of fundraising efforts and Dan will also be completing other events such as Tough Mudder, the Great North Run, and a 95 mile ride through the Brecon Beacons.
It took two days for Dan and a group of friends to navigate the length of Wales through the mountainous Welsh terrain. He completed 101 miles on the first day and 112 on the second, travelling through Snowdonia, the Cambrian Mountains and the Brecon Beacons.
Dan, who works as Stakeholder Engagement Officer at WWF Cymru donned his WWF ‘Ride for Nature’ jersey for the journey. He said:
“Jeff was a larger than life character and a true gentleman. We wanted to do something positive out of a very sad situation.
We’ve frequently said “that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done” over the last few months and that was definitely the case with the Holyhead to Cardiff cycle, but it’s absolutely worth it to do something positive in Jeff’s name.
Jeff had a catchphrase he used to keep himself going – “come on, legs!” And we’ve used that mantra repeatedly to keep us going during these events.”
Dan said that “the support to date has been overwhelming”. With friends and family from Wales and all over the world chipping in. Polly’s other brother in Australia, Guy, has held events and their mother BB is running cookery classes to raise money.
By the end of the year they will have collectively run, swim and cycled over 1,200 miles and hope to raise over £10,000 in the process!
Dan is raising money through just giving at https://www.justgiving.com/dan-crook/.
