Kendal businessman and friends cycle 310 miles through Vietnam and Cambodia raising £10,000 for Parkinson's UK (From The Westmorland Gazette)
When news happens, text KENEWS and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
Kendal businessman and friends cycle 310 miles through Vietnam and Cambodia raising £10,000 for Parkinson's UK
3:13pm Wednesday 12th December 2012 in News
By Allan Tunningley
Good Morning Vietnam: left to right, John Cawood, Andrew Peill, Timothy Thompson, John Clark
A TEAM of intrepid cyclists in their 60s has completed a 10-day charity bike ride through Vietnam and Cambodia.
Kendal surveyor Andrew Peill and friends Timothy Thompson, of Burneside, John Clark, from Kendal, and John Cawood, from the Wirral, cycled 310 miles to raise around £10,000 for Parkinson’s UK.
The men were part of a 31-strong British cycling expedition which raised around £125,000 to help the charity fund research into the degenerative disorder.
Before beginning his ride, Mr Peill had already collected £3,500. Although not an avid cyclist, he said he decided to take on the challenge to support his wife, who was diagnosed with the disease.
The route began in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with the team travelling through teeming cities and rural countryside until the trip finshed in Beng Mealea, Cambodia.
Mr Peill said: “The trip was hard going but fabulous and we saw some wonderful sights. On three days, we rode up to 65 miles each day and probably around half that on the other days. It was so hot that we were sweating from the moment we set off at 7am to finishing at 6pm. But it was all worth it for such a worthy cause.
“The abiding memory to me was all the kids coming out to greet us when we rode through their villages. They all had smiles on their faces which went on forever. It created a lasting impression.”
To donate to their effort, email acp.peill@gmail.com or visit the JustGiving page at http://www.justgiving.com/Andrew-Peill
