Basingstoke’s Emily Wilson is training for a week-long cycle around France's battle sites to support her fiancé and his fellow RAF servicemen in Afghanistan.
The Brighton Hill resident will take part in a 350-mile bike ride for charity across Northern France in the last week of May. The Big Battlefield Bike Ride is the signature event for Help for Heroes, a non-political charity that gives practical support to British servicemen wounded in action since 9/11. Emily’s journey, starting at HMS Victory in Portsmouth, will take her and 300 other cyclists over the channel and through some of France’s most significant battle sites, including Thiepval on the Somme, to their final destination at Dunkirk.
She said: “I’ve not visited any of these sites, except once on a school trip, so I’m really excited about the opportunity. I’ve taken part in triathlons before, but never a major cycling event, so it’s all quite new to me.”
The bike ride is the second event in an impressive schedule of sports challenges Emily will take on over the next seven months. The determined fundraiser completed her first challenge, the Reading Half Marathon, on March 21, and will be tackling the Blenheim and London triathlons and the Great North Swim later this year.
Emily, who is engaged to Flight Lieutenant Tim Bailey, has already raised more than half of her £2,200 target, and is overwhelmed by the support she has received from the Basingstoke community, as well as her fiance’s fellow servicemen in the RAF.
She said: “I think the public are fantastic in their support for our troops doing their job in Afghanistan. Over the past few years, this support has increased, partly due to the media coverage, such as documentaries being shown and news reports. I hope to be part of this drive to keep people thinking about our servicemen.”
Emily is hosting a pub quiz at the Basingstoke Rugby Club Hall on Thursday April 22, to help raise more funds. Tickets are £10, and include a buffet.
To follow Emily’s challenge, donate, or take part in her pub quiz, visit www.emishelpingheroes.weebly.com.
For more information on Help for Heroes visit www.helpforheroes.org.uk.
