Our popular sportive, Ride the Reservoir, is a cycling challenge which sees bikers take on a 25km, 75km or 100km route round the scenic West Midlands countryside. But for Kelly and her friends, they’ll be swapping bikes for scooters this March, as they scoot their way around the 25km route to help raise much-needed funds for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice. Read her inspiring story to find out why…
Last year was one of the toughest years of my life. I sadly lost three people who meant the world to me – my grandad, my nan, and my auntie Betty. All three were such strong characters in my life and I miss them every single day.
My nan and grandad received end of life care in their own home, whilst my auntie Bettie was supported in a care home. The care they all received was just outstanding – it was so personalised and was tailored to each of their needs. It was such a comfort to know that they had specialist staff on hand to support them both physically and emotionally.
The support helped me and our family too, as it enabled us to spend quality time with them in the last days of their lives. We could focus our energy on just being with them as a family, without worrying whether they were in any pain or uncomfortable.
Although my nan, grandad and auntie Bettie weren’t supported by hospices, as soon as I saw the ‘Ride the Reservoir’ challenge, I knew I wanted to get involved and help such an amazing cause. I wanted to give back to a charity like this, as I know how much of a difference hospice care can make to people who have life-limiting illnesses.
I am passionate about scootering and so I decided to do this challenge on my scooter. Thankfully, I won’t be doing it on my own and will be joining other members of the ‘Kick Scooters in the UK’ Facebook group. I haven’t met anyone in the group, so am looking forward to meeting new people whilst taking on this epic distance. I know it won’t be easy but I’m certain it will be a lot of fun!
I’ve been scooting for 10 years approximately but I’ve only recently got my Mibo scooter and have taken it more seriously. In fact, Ride the Reservoir will be my first-ever event. I absolutely love scooting – not only does it keep me fit and healthy but I feel closer to my nan whenever I ride. I know she would be so proud that I’m doing Ride the Reservoir, especially as I will be having fun whilst helping others. She was an amazing woman and just thinking about her makes me smile.
Like I said, last year was incredible tough. But being on my scooter and preparing for Ride the Reservoir has really helped me. It’s given me focus when I thought I’d lost everything, and it’s really helped me with my grief.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far and I’m looking forward to the challenge this week!
Thank you Kelly for sharing your story with us. At Birmingham St Mary’s, we rely on generous fundraisers – like Kelly – to help raise funds for our care, enabling people to live well with life-limiting illness.
If you’ve been inspired by Kelly and want to take on a fun-filled challenge for the Hospice, please take a look at our fundraising events here.