Team Fatboys rides again to raise money for Tiny Lives
Team Fat Boys, a group self-described as ‘Fat blokes that think they can cycle’, will be taking on a new challenge this weekend to raise money for Tiny Lives. The group of 27 amateur cyclists will be tackling a challenging 200-mile route, beginning in Edinburgh on Friday 6th July and ending just outside of the Neonatal Unit at the RVI in Newcastle on Sunday 8th July.
This is the eighth time that the Fat Boys have cycled for a good cause, with a previous challenge for Tiny Lives in 2016 taking them almost 200 miles across Northumberland. The Team have raised over £40,000 for various charities to date and are eager to continue their amazing fundraising. This year they are also fundraising for Maggie’s Centres, a cancer support charity, as well as Tiny Lives.
The Team was formed by Lee Nelson, who was inspired following his own personal experience of life on the RVI Neonatal Unit along with his wife, Paula. Their daughter Abbie was born 16 weeks prematurely in 2002 and spent a further 16 weeks on the Unit before heading home. Lee said:
“Being born so early, Paula and I didn’t know if our daughter would even survive her birth, let alone be able to cope with the traumatic days and weeks ahead. The care and attention that the amazing team at the Unit provided was very much a life opportunity and we later felt compelled to give something back to express our thanks, thus Team Fat Boys was formed.”
Louise Carroll, Community and Events Fundraiser at Tiny Lives, said: “Team Fat Boys are some of our most amazing supporters, they work so hard to raise money and awareness with their remarkable challenges and always do it with a smile and sense of humour! We’re so grateful that they have again chosen to fundraise for Tiny Lives. The money raised will make such a difference to the babies and families on the Neonatal Unit, we really can’t thank Lee and the rest of the boys enough!”
Lee and Paula hope that their story may give hope to other parents who find themselves on the Neonatal Unit, adding: “When our local vicar baptised Abbie on her first birthday, he very eloquently spoke about how he often preached about miracles but very rarely had the opportunity to hold one……this spoke volumes of our daughter’s tenacity and will to live, the skill set and care of the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) team and the reason why we cycle every year. We give thanks every day to be so fortunate to have our beautiful daughter with us now, 16 years later.”
Newborn Abbie on the NICU
The Fat Boys will be keeping everyone informed on their progress on their Twitter page and anyone who would like to donate to their cause can do so on their JustGiving page.