The Paddy McGuinness Charity Bike Ride was a huge accomplishment for the 51-year-old TV personality and Radio 2 DJ Paddy McGuinness.
The Stōk Cae Ras
The Stōk Cae Ras was the starting point for the challenge, with Paddy aiming to cover the 300-mile distance between Wrexham and Glasgow in five days using a customised Raleigh Chopper bicycle! He set off from inside the stadium, serenaded by the Rhos Male Choir and cheered on by some ladies from Nightingale House Hospice seated in the Fourth Wall stand.
“How can you not be in awe of that? It’s amazing”, said Paddy, looking over to the choir as they accordingly improvised appropriate lyrics to Wrexham Is The Name.
Paddy then headed through Garden Village, Rhosrobin, Gwersyllt and Llay on his way into Flintshire and then Chester. He completed his 66th mile of the day as he headed into Liverpool and his first stopover.
Paul Scott, Choir Secretary, said, “Paddy looked genuinely in awe; you could see the emotion on his face. “It was a privilege to be invited by Radio 2, and we jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the Children in Need challenge.
Eye of the Tiger
The choir sang “Eye of the Tiger” while Paddy rode out of the stadium. “It’s not one we’ve ever sung before. It was a case of quickly learning and rehearsing it a few times in the morning.”
“Patch”, as he affectionally named his bike, had the gear lever repositioned and a special saddle fitted in place of the original one, which reduced the dreaded chafing. The funds raised through the challenge will benefit BBC Children in Need, which in turn supports the Child Bereavement Service at Nightingale House Hospice.
Jackie Rowley, the lead of the family support team at Nightingale House, spoke to BBC Radio 2 and BBC Breakfast ahead of the challenge. She said, “This means everything to us. The support from Children in Need and the funds raised by Paddy through this challenge are vital in helping us support bereaved children.”
She added, “It basically costs around £4.9 million a year to run the hospice, mostly funded through fundraising. We’re approaching our 30th anniversary next year, which is incredible. I hope Paddy finds strength in knowing the difference he’s making to so many important causes.”
“A Great Location”
Radio 2 presenter Paddy McGuinness completed BBC Radio 2’s Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge for BBC Children in Need – donate at bbc.co.uk/paddy. Go to BBC iPlayer to hear him read a CBeebies Bedtime Story and also watch the TV documentary of his whole challenge, Paddy: The Ride Of My Life.
When we asked the BBC why they’d chosen Wrexham as the starting point, they replied, “We wanted Paddy’s challenge to cover three nations, hence starting in Wales so he could cross into England and then head up to Scotland. Additionally, Wrexham AFC was a great location – somewhere recognisable for him to launch from”.
We hope you enjoyed reading about the Paddy McGuinness Charity Bike Ride. Click here in order to read more of our local charity stories.
