Latest news with #HelpforHeroesBigBattlefieldBikeRide
Daily Record
01-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Perthshire Navy vet in 200-mile cycling adventure
The battlefield bike ride takes a route through key World War II battlefield sites across Europe over four days. A Perthshire Royal Navy veteran who almost died nine years ago is leading a team taking part in the Help for Heroes Big Battlefield Bike Ride (BBBR), which this year is part of commemorations for the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Stephen Pickering, from Blairgowrie, suffered an arrhythmia in 2016 during a meeting in Boston, USA, and colleagues had to perform CPR for five and a half minutes until the emergency team arrived, before taking him to a specialist cardiac hospital. The 60-year-old, who now has a pacemaker and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), has been using cycling as part of a regime to take better care of himself and signed up to do his first bike ride for the charity four years ago. The BBBR takes in a 200-mile route through key World War II battlefield sites across Europe over four days. He is now a member of The Badgers - a team of six people from all over the country, committed to supporting other veterans. Stephen said: 'We all met when we took part in the BBBR in 2022 and our friendship has grown since then. 'We've all been really moved by the stories of veterans who take part in the ride, who experience physical and mental health challenges. 'When you're riding side by side with someone, it can be easier to open up and tell someone how you're feeling. 'It's motivated us all to want to keep coming back, and the ride is so much more than a fundraising activity.' He served in the Navy for 14 years from 1981 and was involved in conflicts in the Falklands and the First Gulf War. He added: 'There's a historian on the trip, who tells us about the different events that took place during the Second World War at locations along the way, which is really thought provoking. This year's ride also commemorates the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, so it will be particularly poignant. 'It is so important that we remember the sacrifices that so many people made for our freedom, so that we can try and avoid making the same mistakes again.' This year's BBBR starts in London on June 17. Since its inception in 2007, it has been a key event for Help for Heroes and last year it raised £344,416.
Glasgow Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow man raises more than £65,000 for UK veterans
Mark Barclay, 60, was inspired to start fundraising after seeing images of injured men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. He said: "I found it really difficult, as did so many other people, to see these brave people coming home, realising that there wasn't the right support in place for them. Read more: Glasgow charity given year of free broadband "I know from talking to veterans that one of the biggest worries for them is how their families will cope." Mark has raised the money through bucket collections, music nights, fun runs, and cycling challenges, and he doesn't plan on giving up there. He has now recruited family members and friends to join him in Help for Heroes Big Battlefield Bike Ride, a 200-mile cycling challenge which takes place over four days. Mark's team, The Flying Scotsmen, now includes his two sons-in-law, two friends from the Glasgow area, and a friend who is flying in all the way from New York. Donations to the group can be made via their online fundraising page at This year, the cycling challenge will also commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day. The ride will follow in the footsteps of the Allied Forces, leading riders to the German city of Rheine, with a dedicated historian pointing out historical sites along the way. Mark said: "This will be my sixth cycling challenge for the charity – and I love listening to the stories of the veterans who take part, it's really humbling. "I know everyone on my team is motivated to make sure our veterans get the help they need, and I'm so grateful that they're supporting a cause that's really dear to my heart. "Raising funds to support our military veterans and their families is our way of making a meaningful contribution to some of their current and future needs. 'I think this year, the link to commemorating VE Day 80 will be on everyone's minds, as we think about those people who sacrificed so much for our freedom. Read more: 'A beautiful interaction': Glasgow Lush manager shares favourite customer moment "I know, for many veterans, the challenges didn't end in 1945 – just as they don't for those who have served more recently. "If anyone ever needed a reason as to why we must remember this momentous historical occasion, they only need to look at what's happening in Ukraine to better understand the value of our armed forces and those who serve in them." The Big Battlefield Bike Ride starts at Wellington Barracks on June 17. The ride offers participants an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices of the past, and to support those who continue to live with the impacts of military service.
