Six-year-old Edward Dyster from Stone has cycled 134 miles over six days to raise money for the Donna Louise Children’s Hospice. He has covered up 24 miles a day, starting on 31st May from Northampton, his birthplace, and finishing at Tower Bridge in London on 6th June.
Accompanying him on his marathon cycle ride was his mum and dad, Emma and Steve, as they follow a specially prepared route that avoided traffic and used 100 miles of the National Cycle Network.
Edward and his parents took routes 6, 61 and 1 of the National Cycle Network, taking them through Bliswoth, Milton Keynes, Dunstable, St. Alban’s Abbey, Hertfort and Waltham Abbey before finishing at Tower Bridge. “Edward often cycles between 15 and 20 miles”, mum Emma explained, “but the challenge was to do it day after day”.
Edward said: “I wanted to help the children at the hospice. We learned about it at school and about a called Tilly, who needed a wheelchair. I’m really looking forward to riding all the way to London. I love riding my bike. I hope I can raise £1,000 to help other children”.
Edward has done just that, and more. At the finishing point on Tower Bridge, Edward has managed to raise £1,400 so far, with donations coming from as far as Arizona, USA, and Alessi, Finland. While in Hertford, Apple Tree, also contributed to the cause by giving them a free Bed and Breakfast.
Not only has Edward raised more than his target of £1,000 but he has also inspired other children to do something similar. Edward and his parents were joined by another family and their young son, Sam Grattan, on the first leg from Bliswoth to Milton Keynes. Sam, who is a couple of years older, has been inspired by Edward after reading his story through the Donna Louise website and is now raising money for the Donna Louise Children’s Hospice too by doing a swimathon and abseiling down his local church tower. To date, Sam has raised £340.
Dad Steve said before the start of the bike ride: “It is a really positive thing to do. Not only is Edward raising money for a great cause, he is also taking on a bit challenge and doing something he has dreamed of doing. He’ll gain self-confidence and self-esteem while doing something to benefit others. If it weren’t for the National Cycle Network, this kind of family cycling expedition would be very difficult”.
Steve works part-time for Sustrans, the charity that is responsible for the National Cycle Network. Edward wanted to cycle to Tower Bridge as he found the journey boring by car.
“It was harder than I had expected but to keep up the motivation we played games, sang and told jokes. The worst joke was ‘How does the moon get his hair cut? Eclipse it'” said Edward.
Edward would like to cycle from Tower Bridge to Paris or maybe even try open water swimming for his next adventure, with the possibility of doing it for charity again.
So has this expedition brought them closer as a family? “Yes,” said mum Emma, “Life is too busy generally, it’s easy for parents to stick their children in front of a T.V or a games console, but by doing something such as this cycle ride, everybody learns to communicate with each other and how to communicated better. You also learn each other’s habits and body language which is important for parents – learning to spot negative signs in their children helps build a better relationship.”
Report and picture by Joshua Cope
