Mike has raised over £1,580 for the hospice since February 2023, when he started to support us after relocating to the Peak District.
Mike took on the immense London to Paris bike ride in aid of the hospice in summer 2023, and he also hosts regular 1950s tea dances for residents at local care and nursing homes.
Mike moved to the area from Bristol after his wife and partner of over a decade, Abigail, sadly died aged just 53 at St Peter’s Hospice, from lung cancer that had spread from her breast and brain.
Mike, who now lives in Buxton, initially moved to the area to take care of Abi’s parents who lived in Sheffield, and he joined the local cycling club as a keen biker himself and to make friends in his new community. He saw a poster for the hospice’s fundraising London to Paris bike ride and decided to sign up to support his new local hospice.
Mike said: ‘Following my retirement, I wanted to do something worthwhile and to raise money for a good cause. Hospice care has a special place in my heart after the support that we received when Abi was unwell. I like to give something back, and I am a firm believer that what goes around comes around; if you do nice things then good things will happen to you.
‘The London to Paris bike ride was a really great experience; I took part alongside around 125 other people, all raising money for their own personal causes. There was a great atmosphere, and I made some good friends who I keep in contact in via Strava. I was pleased to be in the top nine people to finish the London to Dover stretch which was particularly challenging with the roads and hills. Once we got over to France, the countryside and scenery were really lovely. I would definitely recommend the ride to any keen cyclists; it was a great experience.’
Mike has a great interest in traditional Shellac records, stemming from finding a mint-condition Dean Martin release in a charity shop. He has since collected a good number of classics from the 1950s including from Elvis Presley and Connie Francis, and he puts his spare time to good use by hosting tea dances at local residential care homes.
Mike explained: ‘I go along with my records and offer my time free of charge, just asking the care home residents or management to donate to the hospice for a few hours of entertainment. I have two record players, so I am able to line up another song whilst one is playing, meaning that the music is continuous. The tea dances have gone down really well including at Haddon Hall and Devonshire Place both in Buxton, and I hope to continue these well into 2024. I am glad to be getting out doing something I enjoy, whilst raising money for a good cause.’
Mike also hosted a tea dance as part of the Buxton Fringe Festival at the United Reformed Church in July 2023 and received a nomination as recognition of excellence for dance from the festival’s chairman, Stephen Walker.
This year’s hospice London to Paris bike ride is set to take place from the 5th to 9th June 2024. To find out more:
- Visit the challenge webpage
- Call Rachael Gee on: 01298 384 105
- Email Rachael
If you’re from a local organisation and you’d be interested in Mike coming along to your venue to entertain residents or guests, please email us in the first instance and we can put you in touch: communications@blythehouse.co.uk.
