Date published: 23 October 2019 by Anna Jackson
Dad Godfrey Haire, whose family are supported by Rainbow Trust, has just completed a year of gruelling challenges to raise funds for us. Godfrey and his friend Paul Taylor finished their epic year with cycling up ‘the most vicious mountain’ Mont Ventoux, in the French Alps, last month.
Describing it as his biggest fear yet, Godfrey, and his Ride London partner reached the summit with a height of 1,909m on Friday 20 September in around three hours - at the top, they waved our banner. Battling vertical climbs in intense heat, the pair opted for the route with the steepest gradient. Godfrey said:
“You’re riding in the clouds at that point, through big, open lunar-like landscape. Knowing I was doing it for Rainbow Trust and thinking of Henry and all the people who had sponsored me kept me going”
Mont Ventoux is the legendary Tour de France favourite in the French Alps and Godfrey and Paul covered 22km with a height gain of 6,273 feet and an average gradient of 7.5%. Godfrey said:
“It’s the equivalent of cycling up six Eiffel Towers or ten Box Hills. Even going downhill had its challenges as the last half an hour meant tackling hairpin bends at 40mph.”
Godfrey has had a year of sporting challenges, beginning with a bikeathon last November. He has cycled the equivalent of 4,828km distance across America and up Everest four times, as well as taking part in RideLondon in August, a brutal 100-mile race around London and Surrey, completing it in an impressive 5 hours and 21 minutes.
He has already raised an impressive £7,084 for us and hopes to exceed his target of £7,500. This is equivalent to supporting four families with a seriously ill child for a year.
Godfrey, Crawley Cubitt and West Business Development Partner, his wife Beccy and sons Henry, aged nine and Thomas, aged seven, have experienced our support first-hand through Nicki, our Family Support Worker based in our Surrey Care Team, after Henry was born with a rare condition called posterior urethral valves.
“Henry has severe kidney damage and is entirely fed through a tube in his stomach but thanks to the tremendous support provided by our Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker, Nicki, he is a very happy child.”
“Nicki is there whenever we need her. She helps with the practical things like driving my wife Beccy and Henry’s brother, Thomas, to hospital for Henry’s check-ups and treatments, entertaining Thomas during the long waits for consultants and tests as well as providing us with much needed emotional support. Whilst she can’t cure Henry’s condition, she can and does help us cope day to day.”
A big thank you to Godfrey for his incredible fundraising efforts this year!
We pair each family with a dedicated expert Family Support Worker to help them face and make the most of each new day. However, we have an urgent need for more funding, to enable cost-effective support for more families. If you are feeling inspired and would like to fundraise for Rainbow Trust, you can find out more information on our fundraising page. Or, you can simply donate today.
