A Braithwell man has put pedal power to the test cycling 1,000 miles to raise £2,477 for our hospice charity.
Doncaster business owner Jeff Lockhart (64) took on the month-long challenge in May to raise funds for St John’s Hospice in Balby.
Jeff, plays a major role in the Braithwell community, running his company Yorkshire Water Features, as well as overseeing the day-to-day running of the Ruddle Centre community hub. So, when friends and colleagues at the Centre heard about his mission, they rallied round to give him their support.
Jeff said: “When I told the team what I was planning, they worked out the distance was roughly the same distance as cycling from Braithwell to Benidorm, so they created posters and Facebook posts to help me with sponsorship.
“Then at the end of the challenge, they organised a Benidorm-themed party, along with a raffle, and a special cake to welcome home on my final ride! So, a huge thank you to Kath Horsfield, Megan Downey, Matt and Evie Fox and everyone at the Ruddle Centre for their amazing support!”
Jeff chose St John’s Hospice, as he helped transform its charity-funded garden in a major revamp, complete with water feature in 2018, and his late mum Anne Evans was President of the Rotary Club of St George’s that same year for the garden furniture.
Jeff added: “While we were working at St John’s, we saw what a fantastic place it is for patients and families, so we’re so pleased to be able to donate so much money to such an important local cause.”
St John’s Hospice Fundraising Manager Jenny Baynham said: “We’d like to say a massive thank you to Jeff for setting out on his bike, rain or shine to raise such an impressive amount of money for our charity, and to his son for turning out to rescue him when he punctured his tyres!
“Thanks also to everyone in Braithwell, it was lovely to see so many people turning out to support Jeff at his welcome home party, and to feel the true community spirit of everyone cheering him on.”
Published: June 24, 2025