Red tape thwarts Claire’s challenge
Claire Lomas with her London Marathon medal
PARALYSED fundraiser Claire Lomas has had to put the breaks on her Paris to London cycle challenge after being told she would be unable to collect cash in France.
The adventurous 32-year-old from Eye Kettleby, who famously completed the London Marathon using a robotic suit earlier this year, was due to cycle 250 miles between the two countries using a specially adapted bike next April to raise money for Spinal Research.
However French authorities told her that she cannot ask people for donations while she is in the county.
Instead Claire has pledged to take on a British challenge, completing a 400-mile tour of England using two specially adapted bikes and her robotic suit, visiting schools and organisations along the way.
She said: “All my support has come from the UK and I think it will be more fun to travel round the country.
“I would have struggled with the language barrier abroad and would have had to sort out a mindfield of licensing documentation in order to fundraise in Paris, it just makes more sense to do the challenge on home soil.
“I hope to complete the route within three weeks, depending on how many schools and organisations I visit and will starting the challenge on April 29.
“The route hasn’t yet been decided but will be sketched out over the next two weeks , although I will definitely be passing through Melton.”
Claire has already received support for her new challenge from a number of celebrities including Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis, who has signed up to cycle some of the way with her, as well as ITV news presenter Julie Etchingham.
She is also attracting interest from school’s across the country who have asked her to come and talk about her London Marathon achievement and cycle challenge.
She said: “I visited a school in Ashby recently and it was one of the most amazing things I’ve done.
“I really enjoyed chatting with the kids.
“The tour will give me the perfect opportunity to go round and help others and raise awareness of spinal injuries.”
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Weather for Melton
Tuesday 21 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 7 C to 14 C
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