A Wisbech woman is hoping to kick cancer to the kerb when she climbs on board a Penny Farthing to complete a 21-mile sponsored ride.
Mrs Beverley Wakefield, 50, is hoping to mark the end of her cancer treatment by taking on the challenge of riding between Elgood’s Brewery and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Chemotherapy Room on Monday, 8 July.
Beverley had set herself a goal of learning to ride the bike which had been purchased by her daughter Laura while undergoing treatment last year.
Over the last few weeks, Beverley has mastered the art of climbing aboard the bike, which does not have any brakes.
She is hoping to not only raise money for the hospital’s Chemotherapy Room Fund but to inspire others.
Beverley, who is married to Ed, said: “I want to prove that cancer is not going to stop me and to send out the message that cancer does not have to stop everything.
“It was amazing to ride the Penny Farthing for the first time and I really felt elated as I was kicking cancer to the kerb.
“It is going to be a challenge but I am looking forward to it.”
Beverley was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in June last year after she felt an odd sensation along her left side and went to the doctors.
Over the last year, Beverley has had radiotherapy and chemotherapy. She hopes that 8 July will be her last appointment.
She said: “I was 18 months away from having a mammogram and did not have a lump or anything like that but I felt an odd sensation so my family encouraged me to go to the doctors.
“I would advise anyone who feels that something is not quite right to get it checked out as you just don’t know.”
It was during chemotherapy treatment that Beverley’s daughter Laura purchased the Penny Farthing.
Beverley mastered the art of riding the Penny Farthing on 31 May, when she was successfully able to climb on and off the bike.
She said: “You have to put your foot on a peg on the back of the bike and then scoot along before pushing yourself up. It took me a week or so to master it.
“It is pretty much like riding an ordinary bike but you have to be observant as if you roll over a stone it feels like a brick as it has solid tyres. We also have to make turns gradually rather than sharply.”
Beverley and Laura, who will also be riding another Penny Farthing, will be setting off from Elgoods Brewery at 9.30am on Monday, 8 July.
Their route, which avoids the main roads, will go through Walton Highway, St John’s Highway, Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen, Wiggenhall St Germans, Saddlebow, South Lynn and Gaywood.
If you would like to support Beverley’s Ride for Life please go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/beverley-wakefield-my-ride-for-life
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