A BANGOR father of two is to embark on a 200-mile cycle to say ‘thanks’ to a children’s ward that cared for his infant daughter.
Lavender Latimer was very ill when she was just weeks old last year, and as she reaches her first birthday milestone this week, her dad Ryan is being joined by five friends to cycle from Donegal to Bangor in a bid to raise £3,000 for the Ulster Hospital’s Craig Ward.
The team hopes to complete the journey at the end of this month in about 12 hours, starting at around 5am on August 31 in Dunfanaghy and ending up in Bangor at around 9pm.
Ryan explained: “My youngest daughter was very ill when she was about five or six weeks old and ended up in the Craig Ward for five nights so we wanted to raise a bit of money for them because they’re understaffed and underfunded, like much in the health service.
“The care she received was amazing and without it she may not have made it through the week. No amount of chocolate or cards could ever show the gratitude we have for everyone who looked after Lavender.
“That was in October last year and she is one on Thursday,” he said.
Thirty two year-old Ryan will be joined by a five-strong team including fellow road cyclists David Lynn, James Henly, Stephen Mackie, Jamie Clarke and Paddy Thompson.
As a team, they range in age from 26 to 42, with some of the other men having had children and premature babies cared for in local hospitals and who are keen to repay the health service for the high quality treatment their children received.
Though he has never attempted such a long cycle, he has completed Iron Man cycle challenges, alongside some of his team mates, and also 4X100 mile charity loops around Northern Ireland.
“This is the first 200 miles in one go so it’s quite a leap,” he said.
Until the big day, Ryan and his cycling friends are fitting in as much training as life, work and their families allow.
“It’s absolutely non-stop training,” he said, with a recent holiday in Spain proving no barrier to his continued training – in greater heat, but on better roads.
“I have to thank my wife Felicity for letting me do all this,” he said, grateful to her for shouldering the parenting of Lavender and her older sister, three year-old Clementine, to facilitate Ryan’s training regime.
He also paid tribute to Boardwalk Social Cafe for its sponsorship, as well as his own physiotherapy practice, Windmill Physio, which is kitting the team out in their jerseys.
Anyone wishing to support the 200-mile effort can do so by visiting Just Giving at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ryan-latimer-1
