A group of friends have smashed their £2,000 target on a 160-mile charity cycle in loving memory of brothers Joseph and Alexander Smith-Sturgess, who tragically died last year.
Joseph and Alexander were fondly known by friends and family as Jia and Ali, and the cycle was also in memory of their dad, Gary Sturgess, who had sadly died in January 2019.
Jia and Ali's brother Jules and five of their friends set off from St Neots to Hunstanton and back on August 25 and have so far raised £2,035 for the mental health charity Mind.
They left St Neots Market Square at 7am and returned at 4pm on Sunday (August 27), welcomed by a hugely appreciative crowd, including the brothers' mum, Debbie Smith.
"So many huge appreciated, respected thank yous and big hugs to the riders," said Debbie.
"They are all good friends of our family, and loved Jia and Ali and Gary so much and miss them.
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"Well done to all the guys; they've done a beautiful, amazing thing, and it shows how much can be done collectively for people in need and in loving memory of those we have lost."
The idea of the bike ride was initially thought of by a close friend of the family, Craig Leech, an active, keen cyclist who completed many miles with Jia.
Debbie explained: "At Jia's funeral, Craig got up and bravely announced that he wanted to do the bike ride, as Jia was planning to do one around the coast of England in loving memory of Alexander and his Dad."
Craig got a group together, and they all had been training hard for more than a year in preparation for the ride.
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It was also decided they would raise money and awareness for Mind in respect of people, particularly men, who are suffering from mental health disabilities.
If anyone would like to still make a donation, you can by visiting the JustGiving page.
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