Former teacher raises nearly £4,000 with Oswestry-to-Rome bike ride
Keen cyclist Ken Smith has completed the biggest challenge of his life and travelled from Oswestry to Rome to raise funds for Hope House and Ty Gobaith Children's Hospices.
He has so far managed to raise £3,700 through a JustGiving page but hopes that more donations will arrive after completing a 1,530-mile gruelling journey.
Ken, from Oswestry, a former teacher of mathematics at The Marches School, and a businessman, said: "I cycle a little each day but am not an expert cyclist and only have an ordinary flat handlebar bicycle.
"I travelled to Hull, then by ferry to Rotterdam and cycled to the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and then to Italy and Rome.
"I set off on May 5 and reached Rome on June 3, and for the first two weeks of my journey I was self-supported.
"In Munich I stopped for a five-day rest and to drink beer and eat sausages.
"It was while I was in Munich that I met a group of fellow cyclists and completed the final two weeks with them."
Father-of-two Ken, who also has two grandchildren, said: "It was my first time at taking on a fundraising challenge.
"I cannot say that it was easy as I am not a great cyclist and it was a hard ride as I had to go over the Alps and there were lots and lots of hills.
"I decided to raise funds for Hope House Hospices because there is one only a mile from my home.
"I also watched Ricky Gervais, the comedian, actor and writer, in After Life through Netflix, and felt that no-one could be untouched by what they saw.
"I seemed that raising funds for the Hope House Hospices was the best and obvious choice."
People can support Ken's efforts by visiting justgiving.com/fundraising/k-smith32
