A 20-strong peloton wearing a rainbow of colourful cycling jerseys pedalled 130 miles from Euxton Mills to Arnside and back on the first ever Ted’s Ride to raise more than £5,000 for Baby Beat, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s mums and babies charity, in memory of Ted Roocroft.
Ted was born in April last year to Euxton civil engineer David Roocroft and his wife Hayley. Following his birth, Ted became poorly and was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Royal Preston Hospital where Ted was cared for by its amazing team. Ted lived for just four weeks and is so dearly missed by all his family.
David and Hayley, who this April welcomed a healthy daughter, Flora, into the world, are determined to keep their much loved firstborn’s memory alive by creating a legacy for him through what is now set to become an annual Ted’s Ride.
Like this year’s ride, future rides will be held to coincide with Ted’s birthday and will continue raising funds for Baby Beat, specifically its projects to help other poorly newborns and provide support for their parents.
David, who is a member of Preston Triathlon Club and competes in Ironman events, said: “We will look to change the route but like this year, Ted’s Ride will remain a challenging distance. This year’s ride took us about seven hours with a café stop for lunch but the weather was very bad. Both Hayley and I are very grateful to everyone who rode and supported Ted’s Ride in any way.”
At David’s request, participants, made up of friends and fellow triathlon club members, were asked to dress in brightly coloured cycling tops and each was given a pair of commemorative Ted’s Ride socks. Baby Beat is part of the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Charity family. It funds specialist equipment, patient services and comforts, clinical care, local research and training so that the maternity and gynaecology teams can offer the best possible outcomes for babies and mums in the Central Lancashire and Chorley area. With Baby Beat’s support, NICU continues to provide exceptional care for premature and sick babies and their families from across Lancashire and South Cumbria.
