TWENTY-three cyclists aim to ride the full length of the Leeds Liverpool Canal in just one day to raise money to support an Addingham family.

Jaime Lunn’s Orange Army ‘Chafing the Dream’ aims to raise £127,000 by cycling the 127 miles of the canal in one day.

The money is to support Jamie Lunn and his family. Jaime suffered a life changing spinal injury in a mountain biking accident on Ilkley Moor in April 2020, which left him with no sensation below his chest.

Jaime’s Journey, a support group set up by friends of Jaime and his partner Caroline, has already raised funds to allow adaptations to their home to begin but more funds are needed to complete the adaption and purchase specialist equipment, along with physiotherapy.

The Leeds Liverpool cycle ride has been organised by Scott Thompson, of Burley-in-Wharfedale. Scott, along with the other cyclists will stay in Liverpool on Friday, May 21 so they are ready to leave early on Saturday morning. It is anticipated they will spend a minimum of 12 hours in the saddle.

They have two support vans and plan to stop every 20 miles for food, drink and bike repairs if necessary. They should start arriving at the end of the canal in Leeds city centre at around 5pm.

Scott has tirelessly been fundraising for the charity, giving up his Saturdays to stand on the Grove in Ilkley and he has created a raffle by securing some donations from businesses and individuals, as well as training hard for the ride itself.

Scott didn’t know Jamie before the accident but saw a video about Jamie’s plight when they were trying to raise money for the home renovations which struck a chord with him.

Scott often rides his mountain bike on the moors in the area with friends and family and had been doing so in the weeks around the time of Jamie’s accident. He is at the same stage of life as Jamie, a hardworking family man with a wife, young daughter and pet dog. There were many parallels between them and when Scott saw the video on social media, shared by a friend, his overriding thought was “this could happen to any of us” and wanted to do something to help.

He then contacted Jamie directly about doing a fund raiser and along with fellow cyclist Jon Dillon went to visit Jamie last December, and the 127 charity cycle ride was chosen as the next big fundraiser.

The riders were recruited from a WhatsApp group of cycling acquaintances.

To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/127k?utm_term=eRXwn4RQb