A 62-year-old man is cycling from Whitehaven to Heysham to raise money for two charities that supported him after a serious accident.
John Olerenshaw, from Port Erin, is cycling the 110 miles along the west coast in aid of North West Air Ambulance and Bowland House next week.
In 2018, John was on the last leg of his cycle around the coast of the UK when he hit a speed bump which threw him onto a grass/gravel verge and into a double-posted road sign.
The accident left him with a broken shoulder, broken pelvis, seven broken ribs and a broken shoulder blade.
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John will be cycling the last leg of the route, in aid of North West Air Ambulance, who airlifted him to Royal Preston Hospital where he was treated for the injuries and Bowland House, a hotel for relatives of patients to stay in.
John said: ’I was airlifted to hospital after the crash and I spent seven weeks in Preston Royal Hospital.
’I was in intensive care for three weeks and then four weeks recovering.
’I started doing a fundraiser through Just Giving but then the pandemic came and so we decided to stop.
’Everyone rode a ride over here independently but we wanted to go across to finish the ride and raise money for North West Air Ambulance and Bowland House.
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’This is the hotel attached to Preston Royal so patients’ relatives can stay there for free and visit them in hospital.
’During my time in hospital many people were commenting if I was looking to ride my bike again.
’I decided I would, in the future, complete the rest of the coastal journey and raise money for these two organisations.
’The North West Air Ambulance was critical to my survival and Bowland House were extremely helpful and generous to assist Sue in such a distressing time.
’The last leg of the route is from the crash site at Whitehaven round the coast to Heysham and we want to do this last bit next week on September 5.
’I haven’t done much training for it because I cycle and the friends that are doing it with me all cycle regularly.’
John’s wife, Sue, was able to stay at Bowland House for the full seven weeks that John was in hospital.
This accommodation is on site at the hospital for relatives of intensive care patients, cancer patients having treatment and neonatal babies’ family and is completely free.
The North West Air Ambulance is a charity organisation which is funded through donations, lottery memberships and fundraising.
They have three helicopters, one of which assisted John when he had his accident.
The last leg of John’s route is 110 miles (177km) long and starts in Whitehaven, Cumbria to Heysham, Lancashire along the coast.
If you would like to support John’s cause and donate, his website is https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/johniom
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