A BARNSLEY couple have raised more than £4,400 for an armed forces charity in honour of the fallen of the First World War including two of their own relatives.
Phil Cassell completed a 214-mile sponsored bike ride through Northern France which took in many of the Great War’s battlefields and war memorials at the weekend.
Retired social workers Phil, 62, and wife Jean threw themselves into fund-raising ahead of the Ride to the Somme event, which specifically honoured the work of the Cyclist Regiments involved in the war and raised funds for armed forces charity SSAFA.
Although some money is still to come in they expect the final total to top £4,400, which has been raised through individual sponsors, raffles, collections and donations from some local businesses and their staff, and bucket collections at the Barnsley Live festival in town, Barnsley’s first match at Oakwell and the Co-op store in Mapplewell.
“I’ve never been in the military, but we wanted to do something to show our support for veterans, mark the centenary of the Armistice this year, and commemorate all the fallen of the First World War,” said Phil, of Ward Green.
“Jean and I both have relatives who fell, including Jean’s great uncle Charles Edward Firth, and my uncle William Cassell. He died before my dad was born.”
There were 66 riders in total on the SSAFA ride, with Phil the only rider from Barnsley.
“We all had a target of £1,600, so we were so pleased to raise what we did.
“The majority of the money has come from individual sponsors and people who’ve thrown money into our buckets, so I really want to say thank you to the generous people of Barnsley.”
The couple’s JustGiving online donation page can ge found here.
