Two cyclists, Adam Clarke, 40, a scientist from Watton and Keiran Williams, 38, a driving instructor from Soham are only a week away from their challenge to cycle from Paris to London in 24 hours. They will be raising money for East Anglian Air Ambulance.
The ride distance totals 180 miles (290km) riding from the Eiffel Tower in Paris to Tower Bridge in London. They will catch the ferry at the port of Dieppe, arriving in Newhaven.
They will leave Paris at 11.30 GMT on Saturday 22nd June and aim to finish the ride by 11.30 GMT on Sunday 23rd June, the clock doesn’t stop for the ferry crossing.
The cyclists are riding in aid of East Anglian Air Ambulance a charity that carries particular significance for Adam.
In 2018 Adam was involved in a serious car crash on a local rural road in Norfolk, leaving him with life threatening head injuries.
Paramedics recognised the seriousness of Adam’s injuries and called for the Air Ambulance.
Adam was rushed from the accident site to Addenbrooke’s hospital where he received the urgent treatment that has allowed him to make a full recovery. Without the speed of the transfer to hospital and the early medical intervention Adam’s prospects of achieving a full recovery were a lot lower.
Adam said: “The speedy rescue that East Anglian Air Ambulance were able to provide has given me the life I had today. This challenge is my way of saying thank you to those who crewed my flight”.
Keiran works as a specialist disability driving instructor and as part of his work, he supports motorists who have had various accidents back onto the road. This includes clients who have been rescued by East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Keiran said: “This service is vital for saving lives and giving those involved in the worst incidents the best chances of recovery and a better quality of life after an incident”.
The cost of Adam’s rescue was £3,250; this is the fundraising target for Adam and Keiran’s ride.
Keiran sad: “We hope our effort and your support will provide funding for East Anglian Air Ambulance to be able to save another life just like they did for Adam”.
Fund raising is well underway and the boys are about halfway to their target.
Adam said: “We are humbled by the generosity of those who have sponsored, thank you, we hope more can help us get to our target and support this fantastic charity”.
Tarryn Stuart, Community Fundraiser at East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) said: “It was wonderful to reconnect with Adam following his incident in 2018 and hear that he has made such a good recovery.
“Adam and Kieran’s Paris to London cycle in aid of EAAA sounds like an epic adventure and we wish them every success as they embark on this fundraising challenge to help save the lives of others.
EAAA relies almost entirely on the enthusiasm and generosity of people across the region to raise the funds needed to deliver and develop the 24/7 service. This helps to give critically ill or injured people in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk the best chance of surviving and recovering from a life-threatening emergency. A huge thank you to Adam and Keiran for their incredible support.”
To sponsor Adam and Keiran, and support East Anglian Air Ambulance
visit: https://www.justgiving.com/team/keiran-adam-24hr-p2l
To find out more about the ride visit: https://www.accessdriving.info/paris2london
About East Anglian Air Ambulance.
- East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) is a charity providing advanced critical care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to the most seriously ill and injured people in the region by air and road.
- From road traffic collisions to cardiac arrests to medical emergencies, the charity’s specialist doctors, critical care paramedics and pilots bring the advanced skills, equipment and medicine directly – normally only found in a specialist emergency department – to the patient’s side in the fastest time possible.
- The equipment carried by EAAA’s helicopters and rapid response vehicles enables enhanced care at the incident scene – when the patient needs it most – such as blood transfusions, advanced pain relief, sedation and anaesthesia, and surgical interventions.
- This, combined with quick onward transfer to the most appropriate hospital, gives every patient treated by EAAA the best possible chance of surviving and recovering a life – threatening emergency.
- EAAA is a charity and receives no regular government funding, relying almost entirely on public support.
- The average cost of a mission is now £3,750. In total, EAAA was tasked by air and road to over 2,800 missions in 2022-23.
To find out more about East Anglian Air Ambulance visit their website: https://www.eaaa.org.uk/