MORE war veterans will receive the support they need, thanks to the fundraising efforts of a Teesdale cyclist who rode 509 miles for charity.
Mark Hobson raised £1,300 for Combat Stress by cycling from Barnard Castle to St Manvieu war cemetery in Cheux, France in May. Mr Hobson took his grandmother’s ashes to her husband’s war grave so that they could be reunited after 74 years.
John Hobson served with the 2nd Northamptonshire Yeomanry Royal Armoured Corps in the Second World War. He was killed in combat on June 30 in 1944, aged 25. His wife, Daphne, was told by his fellow comrades that his sacrifice saved their lives.
Despite being a keen Teesdale CRC member, the six-day return trip was a self-supported one that the 52-year-old had embarked on.
He said: “The first couple of days went fine but then I hit thunderstorms. It was proper knock you off your bike water.”
He was faced with further problems on day four when he was cycling from Peterborough to Buckingham.
He said: “I was riding along on a narrow road I got forced over by a 4×4 and had to ride through some very deep potholes. My rear mech went into my wheel, ripped it off and twisted the wheel. I thought it was all over so I sat on the grass verge and phoned my wife, Leah, to tell her the bad news.”
Luckily, Mrs Hobson’s uncle lived 20 miles away and came to the rescue. With the help of a local bike shop, Corley Cycles, Mr Hobson was ready to go again within a few hours.
With miles to make up on day five, Mr Hobson prepared himself for a long day in the saddle. He had 120 miles to cover in order to catch the ferry at Portsmouth.
However, 60 miles in, disaster struck again.
He said: “The route I had downloaded put me on a cycle path that ended in a ploughed field. I could see the road and only needed to push my bike 50 or so metres but only a few steps in and my rear tyre was split by a sharp lump of flint. The tyre was irreparable and I didn’t have a spare so I tried to patch it but this only had limited success and only got me a mile or so.”
With time running out, Mr Hobson flagged down a fellow cyclist to ask if there was a bike shop nearby. Luckily, the cyclist lived 100 yards away and offered Mr Hobson a spare tyre to get him on his way. Mr Hobson made it the port with one hour to spare.
Across the channel, family members awaited him at the war cemetery where they interred Daphne’s ashes on May 28.
Mr Hobson said: “It was pretty hard when I was at the cemetery. It was more emotional than I expected. Now they will rest together forever.”
Mr Hobson wanted to raise money for Combat Stress because his father-in-law Cliff Burrage and a close friend had benefited from it.
He said: “I am overwhelmed by the number of donations. I have had fantastic support from everyone. I would like to say a big thank you.
“The ride was definitely a challenge but I enjoyed it and I would do it again.”
The director of income generation at Combat Stress, Robert Marsh, said: “On behalf of everyone at the charity I’d like to thank Mark for taking on such an incredible and personal challenge in aid of Combat Stress.
“Each year we receive more than 2,000 referrals from veterans struggling with trauma-related mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Support from fundraisers, like Mark, is vital to ensure we can continue to help every veteran who comes to us.”
To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-hobson6.
