Pedal the Ports is a 1,600-mile tandem-relay fundraiser organised by ABP to benefit motor neurone disease charities.
Last updated Fri, 10-Oct-2008
ABP
MAKES £75,000 DONATION TO MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE ASSOCIATION
The UK’s
largest ports group has donated £75,000 to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Associated British Ports (ABP) raised the cash through its Pedal the Ports fundraiser. The event saw ABP employees circumnavigate Britain on tandem bicycles, calling at all 21 ports owned and operated by the company, starting and finishing in the Port of Grimsby.
The relay was inspired by Nick Palmer, former Port Director of Grimsby & Immingham, who is suffering from MND.
The money raised was handed over at a presentation at the Port of Grimsby and will help the Motor Neurone Disease Association continue to support sufferers of MND and those who care for them.
ABP has already donated £125,000 to the Sheffield Institute Foundation for Motor Neurone Disease, which was also raised through Pedal the Ports.
John Fitzgerald, ABP Port Director, Grimsby & Immingham, organised the event. He said: When we started planning Pedal the Ports, we wanted to bring employees together from all our ports, whilst raising money for MND charities and paying tribute to Nick Palmer. I’m delighted to say that what we achieved far outstripped all our expectations."
Denise Davies, Head of Community Fundraising, Motor Neurone Disease Association, said: "Being diagnosed with MND can be devastating, not just for the individual but for their family as well. ABP pulled out all the stops and raised a massive sum of money to help support those affected by this disease. I would like to thank ABP for all their hard work. The money raised by ABP will go towards providing care and support for people with MND, including purchasing valuable pieces of equipment to improve their quality of life as much as possible. Some of this money has gone directly to local MND Branches which are run entirely by volunteers and provide support to people living locally with the disease."
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LOWESTOFT TO KING'S LYNN, Tuesday 1 JULY
Hottest
day of the year so far (29o) near King’s Lynn.
Team Members -
Graham Tetley and Donald Birdseye (King’s Lynn)
Steve Smith and Richard
Perry (Immingham Engineers)
Steve Pullen – welcome guest from Carlboms
Ltd
8th July 2008.
MESSAGE FROM NICK PALMER, 8 JULY Well it's over and what a fantastic project
Pedal the Ports has been. Congratulations to John Fitz for dreaming up the project
and to everyone involved – your hard work delivered on all the objectives (and
more!) and reading the ‘blog’ proves that a fair bit of fun has been had despite
the sore limbs etc. The fact that the tandem was met with receptions at various
ports and greeted back home to Grimsby with a great port open day all combined
to produce a special atmosphere and team spirit.
A huge amount of money
has been raised and awareness of MND has increased. The fund will be put to excellent
use and the two main beneficiaries are very grateful for your efforts.
I
knew ABP was a great company but it has been hard to comprehend the scale of this
gesture and the commitment and enthusiasm that has been shown by so many.
Leaving
the company has been a huge wrench for me but with so many friends out there I
know that my heart will always remain within ABP and with you great bunch of people.
Thank you. Nick
Weather – UNBELIEVABLE!!! 08.00 already 22o. Dickie Perry had been sunbathing in his room since sun-up (4am).
Picked Donny up from Lowestoft station at 08.30 – sweating. Went to
Lowestoft North Quay to collect tandems and support vehicle – saw KL &
Lowestoft Safety Manager, had his arm in a sling as a result of falling off the
tandem the previous day – oh joy!!! Thankfully the Suffolk boys had left
the bikes and car in excellent condition. Much merriment followed as we practiced.
We weren’t laughing it was the Suffolk boys. Following a goodbye kiss from
Paula we began our adventure.
The temperature continued to rise, GT and SP headed straight for a big fan –
the locals call it Goliath – we then all stood on the most easterly point
in the UK and some considerate chap had left directions and distances to many
parts of the world, unfortunately though we had to ask for directions to check-point
1 – Great Yarmouth, 9.30 and we began to head North East.
Scary times along the A12 and temperature now at 24o – check-point had been
ignored by tandems and support vehicle, but we met up anyway, purely by chance.
RP and SS were to take it from here (in a bit of a hurry as they needed the toilet
and the gaffer of the pub whose car-park we were in wasn’t sympathetic) –
ABP staff don’t use the Ship Inn in Yarmouth!
Check-point 2 – Potter Higham – tandem missed it again, Don, Steve and
Tetters took in the ambience then the panic call. Support vehicle to the rescue
(after getting lost) in all one hour wasted! Team talk about stopping at check-points!!
Sun-tan cream reapplied, now 25o, Don (later to be known as dangerous Don) had
his first life-threatening wobble when trying to set off on a busy road, at this
stage wobble-Don seemed more appropriate.
Regular changes of pilot and stoker, sometimes simultaneously, then saw us make
steady but uneventful progress towards our goal, passing through Wroxham and Coltishall
where a pair of canal-side pubs almost proved too much to resist. Its 27o by now
and the tarmac is melting (along with my shorts and my confidence in dangerous
Don). Between here and King’s Lynn the peace was only broken when, after
an attempt to get to the very top gear, resulted in the chain coming off and us
having to stop halfway along the only decent downhill in Norfolk.
151/2 miles to King’s Lynn and 28o – met by John Barrett (Photographer)
– smiled through the excruciating pain in the bum bones. 41/2 miles to go
and we went for glory – we opted to ride both tandems to the finish line,
more joy as its now 29o at 3.30 in the afternoon. This great, fun effort was rounded
off in the best possible way when we arrived at King’s Lynn port to a magnificent
cheer and ice cold refreshments, followed by a BBQ well supported by staff, their
families and a smattering of customers. Special thanks to Chalky and Martin for
the BBQ and Allison & Co for the preparations.
Pedal the Ports has already raised a huge amount of charity for the Motor Neurone
Disease Association and the Sheffield Institute Foundation. In addition, a large
number of ABP staff, who have been unable to take part in the actual tandem cycling,
have also offered their support in other ways and have taken part in all manner
of initiatives. Thousands of pounds, and a huge amount of awareness, have been
raised by initiatives such as:
June 2008
DONATIONS CAN BE MADE : (CLICK)
Ridden
by a shifting, relay group of ABP employees and friends of the Company, the tandem
is currently circumnavigating Britain in an anticlockwise direction, calling at
each of ABP's 21 ports, before arriving back in Grimsby on Saturday, 5 July.
Friday
6 June Left Photograph (supplied) - left to right Mark & Megan Palmer
(Nick's son and daughter who pedalled the first leg), Nick Palmer and John Fitzgerald,
Port Director, Grimsby & Immingham. (Click on image to see larger view)
Megan Palmer - first leg, Grimsby to Goole
It
was touching to see a lot of support as my brother Mark, Dave Laister, Pete Chaters
and I set off for the first leg of the Pedal the Ports challenge which had been
estimated at 70 miles in length. It was clear a lot of effort and dedication had
been put into the event, ranging from the wealth of press coverage, t-shirts,
a well stocked support vehicle and of course generous and kind donations.
We started the day early, at 7.30am, with live radio interviews and photos,
all in order to raise publicity for the cause, and at 9am sharp, accompanied by
the sound of horns from all the ships in dock, and the cheers of all our kind
supporters, the two tandems set off along the sea wall.
From under the
Grimsby dock tower to Immingham, the journey went off smoothly, so well in fact,
we beat the support vehicle to Immingham Docks and missed the photo shoot! A puncture
however stopped us near Thronton Abbey and allowed them to catch up. We then rode
across the Humber Bridge before a spot of lunch.
The next strecth took
us through the heart of Hull City, alongside the KC Stadium, where motorists gave
us money along the way, and the top speed of 33.0 mph for the leg was acheived.
We arrived at Hull port office and after a photo - to prove we had made it - we
set off again, this time for the Port of Goole.
After cycling under the
Humber Bridge (again) we then had a navigational glitch, taking a wrong turn in
North Ferriby! We soon found our true course and then cycled back into the country
where the stony tracks were felt painfully by our saddle-sore backsides! It was
a welcome chnge in scenery however, visiting lots of villages along the way -
in one village during a quick drinks stop, it was encouraging when some locals
who had heard us on the radio came out to wish us well and offer a donation.
At 5.25PM, all four of us reached Goole (we were all so keen that despite
plans to keep one bike in reserve, both tandems completed the whole course!),
with an actual total mileage of 81 MIles, 5 hours and 25 minutes of cycling, and
average spped of 15mph and a final photocall our aching bodies were eased off
the tandems.
It was a great start to the bike relay, and on a personal
note from my brother and I, we are very touched by the effort everyone has gone
to in order to raise money for a cause close to our hearts. We were pleased to
start the trip off and hope all other cyclists enjoy their 'legs' as much as we
have!
10th
April 2008:-
ABP LAUNCHES PEDAL THE PORTS – A 1,600-MILE TANDEM
BIKE RIDE FOR MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE
Associated
British Ports (ABP) today announces the launch of Pedal the Ports, a large-scale
fundraiser for Motor Neurone Disease (MND), which will see sponsored ABP employees
taking part in a 1,600-mile tandem bike ride around the Company’s 21 ports,
throughout June.
Starting and finishing at the Port of Grimsby, the tandem
– ridden by a shifting, relay group of employees – will circumnavigate
Britain in an anticlockwise direction, calling at the Ports of Immingham, Hull,
Goole, Troon, Ayr, Silloth, Barrow, Fleetwood, Garston, Swansea, Port Talbot,
Barry, Cardiff, Newport, Plymouth, Teignmouth, Southampton, Ipswich, Lowestoft
and King’s Lynn, before arriving back in Grimsby for a port/community open
day on Saturday 5 July. This will allow the general public to gain access to and
experience the workings of a modern port while enjoying a number of activities
designed to raise more funds. Events are also being planned at other ports along
the route.
John Fitzgerald, ABP Port Director, Grimsby & Immingham,
explains the motivation behind the campaign: “The idea for Pedal the Ports
originated last year, when my predecessor at Grimsby & Immingham, Nick Palmer,
announced his decision to retire from the role because he himself is suffering
from MND.
“As
Nick worked at all of ABP’s ports over his 27 years at the Company, I thought
it would be a fitting tribute to launch a project that somehow involved all of
those locations, while also raising money for MND research and care. Specifically,
we want to raise money for the charity Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND
Association), and the Sheffield Institute Foundation (SIF), which aims to develop
an international centre of excellence for basic and clinical research into MND,
with all the key research skills under one roof.”
He
added: “We also thought it would be a good opportunity to bring together
as many of ABP’s employees, customers and suppliers as possible in a collaborative
effort in recognition of Nick’s contribution to the port community in UK.”
Denise
Davies, Head of Community Fundraising at the MND Association, said: “At the
moment there are around 5,000 people living with MND in the UK and we are here
to ensure that they along with their families can get the care and support they
need, as well as to fund and promote research into causes of the disease and effective
treatments. We can only do this thanks, in part, to amazing fundraising events
like the Pedal the Ports challenge which we know will be a huge success and will
help to raise awareness of MND around the country.”
Irene
Beard, Foundation Secretary of the Sheffield Institute Foundation for MND, said:
“SIF is extremely grateful to Nick Palmer, John Fitzgerald and to ABP for
their initiative which will contribute towards the creation of the first European
Institute for MND in Sheffield, an important step towards finding a cure for this
terrible condition.”
10th April 2008
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