Father and son cycle 350 miles for Guernsey Mind
A father and son duo have completed their challenge to cycle 350 miles around the island in six days to raise money for Guernsey Mind and to open conversations surrounding suicide.
Ryan-Zico Black and his dad, Dessie, decided to take on the challenge after losing close friends Scott Bradford and Cameron Le Page to suicide, to raise awareness around the issue in their memories.
‘It was my dad’s idea to take on the challenge, as we are quite passionate about raising more awareness of suicide, in the hope that we could encourage someone to think twice or to reach out for help,’ said Ryan.
‘The aim was to help at least one person and to raise some money for Guernsey Mind.’
The pair set off on their challenge last Sunday, which was World Suicide Awareness Day, and cycled six to seven hours around Guernsey for six consecutive days.
They had done a little training prior to their fundraiser and started with cycling laps around the island to mix it up a bit.
‘It was the cause that kept me going through the challenge and it gave me an opportunity to think about things and remember times with Scott,’ said Ryan.
‘I wanted to help other people who might be feeling down or alone.’
Ryan’s highlights of the six-day event were the kindness and support of the Guernsey public and fellow cyclists, plus taking on the challenge with his dad.
‘It was really nice to do it with my dad and spend so much quality time and we had some real funny moments,’ he said.
‘We will be reminiscing and talking about this for a long time.’
The duo had set a £1,000 fundraising goal and had exceeded that by the time they finished the challenge.
‘The main aim for the challenge was raising awareness, but raising money is important to Guernsey Mind, as suicide is a delicate subject and people do often avoid talking about it.’
There is still time to donate to the cause and all money raised will contribute to providing suicide first aid training courses.
Donations can be made here
