BEARS ON PENNY FARTHING’S ENJOY RIDE ACROSS THE ISLAND FOR WILDHEART ANIMAL SANCTUARY

A duo of intrepid cyclists – Neil Laughton and Rolf Woodward from the London Penny Farthing Club – cycled across the Isle of Wight on their penny farthing bicycles dressed as bears – as part of the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary’s Big Bear Ride. Such a challenge may sound rather intimidating to most, especially when considering the terrain on the Island which included several of steep climbs and descents, further complicated by the fact that the penny farthing bikes have one gear and no brakes. But for these 2 this was not their first extreme adventure, especially Neil, who notoriously climbed Mount Everest with none other than Bear Grylls. This incredible event was all to raise awareness and essential funds for the rescue of 2 European Brown Bears, Benji and Balu from Azerbaijan, who are in desperate need of a new home. The pair cycled over 20 miles and managed to raise over £1,500, from generous donations from members of the public. The Big Bear Ride set off from Albert Cottage at 09:30, with the first leg taking them to Tesco Express in Wootton Bridge, for a quick snack and drink. Then the bears were back on the road for their next hilly leg through Havenstreet to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, where they received a warm Scottish welcome at the Island Highland Gathering and were given a tour of the platforms.

Then onto Quarr Abbey where they enjoyed tea and delicious cake whilst being greeted by customers at the Abbey Tearoom, add a quick chat with the Abbott before setting off on to Ryde for a trip up and down the pier with a quick wave to the Wightlink Ferry as it left port. A much-needed lunch stop at the Big Kahuna Café in Ryde where crowds were delighted to see the penny farthing bikes up close, and some of the more daring even attempted a quick trial on the bikes. The bears enjoyed a lovely flat ride along the Ryde esplanade to The Old Fort in Seaview where they once again entertained the lunch punters. One quick stop at the RNLI station in Bembridge and then on to the Culver Parade in Sandown for the home straight down the seafront to the finish line at the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary. The triumphant ‘bears on bikes’were cheered on to the finish by a crowd of Wildheart staff, volunteers, members public and serenaded by a Eukele Band playing the ‘Bear Necessities’ as they completed their challenge at around 16:30. Lawrence Bates, COO, from the Sanctuary had this to say about the event:

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“It was great to see our Bears bringing loads of smiles to faces all along the Big Bear Ride route. This really helped bring the story of Benji and Balu to life and inspire more people to get involved. I think the whole team were humbled by the kind words and generous donations we received from start to finish – thank you to everyone who came out to see us! We would also like to thank our sponsors, Wighlink Ferries, Teemill and the Island Car Centre”