Felix RAAM Team present £38,000 cheque to Blesma
14 March 2016
A team that took on the gruelling Race Across America challenge last year are presenting a cheque for just over £38,000 to representatives of Blesma, The Limbless Veterans at the Blesma Blackpool Home.
The team, made up mainly of veterans including Davie Timmins QGM – a Blesma Members – started the race on 20th June 2015 in Oceanside, California on the west coast. The team rode in a relay non-stop for 3,000 miles ending just seven days and twenty hours later in Annapolis on the east coast.
Team leader, Pete Graham from York, said: “We had our ups and downs over the 3000 miles and 170,000 feet of altitude in the 7 days it took us to complete the race. We encountered extreme weather conditions over the whole route. There was blistering heat, flash floods and lightning storms and we even received numerous weather alerts stating that tornados were around us but thankfully we never saw one. Due to the weather conditions there was a greater number of non-finishers than ever before. We too were nearly disqualified when we were within 3 hours of the 61 hours cut off time for the first 860 miles. This definitely focused our performance and we improved overall as individuals and as a team after this, resulting in us completing the race with over a day and a half to spare.
“Not one of the cyclists could have achieved what they did without the fantastic support of the crew, who were the cooks, cleaners, waiters, shoppers, drivers, protection officers and navigators and only looked after themselves once they knew the cyclists had been provided for and all this across a country that they had never seen before!”
Riding with the team was former Royal Logistics Corps Corporal Davie Timmins QGM, who lost an eye in Afghanistan while serving with a bomb disposal team.
Pete said: “The presence of Blesma Member Davie Timmins in the team was inspirational to every one of us. He triumphed over whatever was placed in front of him and even though he crashed 3 times and was battered and bruised by the time we cycled into Annapolis he never buckled. No one however tired we felt could have ever contemplated not completing the race with Davie always wanting to do more.
With Davie in the team we were all aware of the great work that Blesma conducts for its Members and families and we were just grateful that we could help in some small way whilst experiencing an amazing adventure.”
Chief Executive of Blesma, Barry Le Grys, said: “The Felix RAAM team know what it is take extreme risk in the service of our country and what price can be paid when the risk is too high. This makes their fund raising achievement even more meaningful and they know it will be put to good use assisting injured colleagues. Blesma is enormously grateful.”
Blesma, The Limbless Veterans is the national charity for all limbless service men and women, their widows and dependants. It was formed in the years following the First World War and became a national charity in 1932.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editor
Hi-res images can be downloaded from the links below:
Team finishing photo (L-R Cliff Burnett, John Lambert, Pete Graham, Alex Dowdy, David Timmins QGM, Stewart Sharman, Spike Elliott, David Inman): https://blesma.org/media/437366/felix-raam-2015-team.jpg
Felix RAAM Team members, Blesma Fundraising Team and Blesma Members at the Blackpool Home: https://blesma.org/media/437403/felix-raam-cheque.jpg
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