Nordic Adventure Raises Funds for Alex’s Wish
Two intrepid Leicestershire-based adventurers will travel 5,700 miles on motorbikes in 2021 for Alex’s Wish. Travelling across England, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, their trip will take them up to the North Cape in Norway – Europe’s most northerly point accessible by car (or, in this case, motorbikes) – where they will visit the poignant Children of the World monument.
The Nordic Adventure will take local businessmen Stan Hulme and Matt Daly into the Arctic Circle and see them traverse remote roads all whilst experiencing the local culture and wildlife on their way. The duo will be totally self-sufficient throughout the trip and will be wild camping along the entire route.
The journey was inspired after Stan suffered an horrendous accident a few years ago. Speaking about the accident Stan says, “I fell backwards almost four meters landing on my back. As I lay there not knowing if I had broken anything or how bad the situation was I remember thinking very clearly that when I got through this I wasn’t going to waste any more time. There are things we all want to do and put off. One of those things, for me, was to plan and undertake an epic adventure… and I knew just who I wanted to do it for.
“I’ve known Emma Hallam, the founder of Alex’s Wish, for many years now and her passion and commitment to her cause has always staggered and motivated me in equal measure. Her ‘why’ is crystal clear and after all the challenges that Alex’s Wish have experienced due to COVID-19 I knew that I really wanted to get involved and help by undertaking this adventure and fundraising for them.”
Alex’s Wish is a parent-led charity based in Leicestershire in the East Midlands whose mission is to raise money to invest into clinical trials and clinical trial capacity in order to find treatments and, ultimately, a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy; a life-limiting muscle wasting disease which currently has no effective treatments and no cure for boys living with this cruel disease.
Adds Stan, “Emma stood up at our networking group several months ago and said something that as a father, hit me like an anvil. She told us that Alex, her son after whom the charity is named and who lives with Duchenne, is now considered to be middle-aged at the tender age of just 14 years old. That’s because of the life expectancy of boys with Duchenne. I knew I had to act.”
Stan and Matt’s daring adventure will start in May 2021 taking into consideration the fact that some of the more northerly roads are impassable earlier in the year. Their adventure can be followed throughout on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter as they are documenting the whole journey, including preparation and training, on film.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheInspiredRider
YouTube: tinyurl.com/theinspiredrider
Instagram: theinspiredrider_official
Twitter: @inspired_rider
The midpoint of their trip will be celebrated at the Children of the World monument, a particularly poignant stop-off given the reason the journey is being undertaken – to save the lives of boys living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The end of their ride is planned to coincide with the start of the Adventure Bike Rider Festival 2021 which will take place at Ragley Hall on the 25th – 27th June 2021.
Speaking about the trip Matt added, “We are currently self-funding every element of this trip thereby ensuring all donations received go directly to Alex’s wish. Alex’s Wish has survived during the COVID-19 pandemic but it’s fair to say that their fundraising has been adversely affected and the one thing we absolutely know for sure is that Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy doesn’t slow down or ever take a break. We’ve set ourselves the enormous target of raising £100,000 for Alex’s Wish and any size donation will help towards achieving that so please, please, please do consider supporting us. Donations can be made via: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/NordicAdventure
“Over and above that we’re also looking for corporate sponsors to help us either by funding part of the journey or by providing us with essential kit. Bearing in mind some of the conditions we’re likely to encounter safety has to come first so anyone in the outdoor / camping industry or the motorcycle industry is someone we’d love to speak to.
“What I’d say to any potential sponsor is that this is all about making it work for everyone concerned. We’ll be filming the whole experience and are talking to various production companies and Commissioning Editors about potentially turning this into a TV series or short film. Matt and I are open to conversations about what sponsorship may look like and involve so if you’re interested in what we’re doing and want to be a part of it let’s have a conversation and see where that goes.”
