My Story
Our lives changed forever, when in 2018,our son Ben died at the age of 44 from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Ben's death was not only our loss,but Lewis,Dexter and Ben's step-daughter,Rebecca lost their father and Vicky,his wife,lost her husband,along with Jo,his sister,who lost her brother. Also,he was a nephew,uncle,and cousin to the extended family all of whom miss him very much. His friends and work colleagues also have a place in their hearts for Ben. He is sadly missed. Ben was a keen cyclist,enjoying both road and off road rides,so it was only natural that he would seek to take up a challenge involving cycling. In July 2018,Ben rode the Etape du Tour,an event open to amateur riders,usually covering the first mountain stage of the Tour de France. This particular stage was 158.5km long. In doing so,Ben raised £2400 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Since 2019,we have organised " The Ben Vernon Charity Ride " starting and finishing in Chesterfield,Derbyshire. We ran the event in a modified form in 2020 and 2021,finally opening it to the public in 2023 and 2024. As before, the rides will start on Vicar Lane under the big screen((there is also a 4.5 mile ride for families with young children), signing on from 10 AM, and the rides starting at 10.30AM. The long ride is 13 miles,and we are again raising funds for Cancer Research UK. We see this event is a celebration of Ben's life,and we do hope you can contribute to a charity that means so much to us,and help us fulfil Ben's legacy.
