A TWELVE year-old lad from Seend has raised over £8,000 for charity by cycling 260 miles over half-term in memory of his father, Tim Plunkett, who died aged just 37.
James Plunkett, a keen young cyclist, rode from Seend to Whitstable, Kent earlier this month to raise money for the National Brain Appeal. He was accompanied by step-dad Matthew Wordsworth and close friend Sami.
The money will go towards The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, where Tim underwent treatment for a spinal tumour, before he died when James was a baby. The team has raised over £8,000 of their £10,000 target so far.
Reflecting on the ride, James said, “It is a great achievement and I hope many other people will be inspired to do great things. You’re never too young!”
James’s mum Caron Sandhu, who met Tim at medical school when they were both trainee doctors, accompanied James in a camper van with her mum, Prabh.
Caron said, “This was so personal to James. It really came from his heart and he followed his idea through. James and I shared a few tears on the last day when the enormity of what he had achieved began to sink in. It felt like a proper goodbye to ‘daddy Tim’.”
James, who attends Prior Park College in Bath, was joined for varying sections of the challenge by another close school friend Will, his cousins Charlie and Harry, and his aunties Phillippa and Preet.
Tim’s father Guy Plunkett, known affectionately as ‘Grumpy Grandpa’, and Sami’s mother Muna Mitchell drove alongside Caron. More family and friends were in Whitstable, where Tim’s ashes were scattered, to join the team when they reached their final destination.
The team continue to raise money for the neurological hospital. To donate, search James’s name online at uk.virginmoneygiving.com
