Family bike ride from Dartford to Dover in aid of Milly Moo Right Now Foundation
Published: 00:01, 18 December 2016
A family has completed a 100-mile bike ride in just 10 hours in memory of a little girl to mark what would have been her 10th birthday.
Nick and Dan Stokes pedalled across Kent in memory of their niece Amelia Reeve, from Chattenden. They were joined by their dad Peter, 67, who Amelia knew as Pop.
The three-year-old, nicknamed Milly Moo, died in 2010 after a short battle with leukaemia. Milly would have turned 10 on December 3 and on Tuesday this week it was seven years since she was diagnosed.
The trio set off from DHL in Dartford where Dan, 40, works and cycled along the coast to Dover, stopping on the way at Asda in Gillingham, where Nick, 37, works.
They raised £300 for the Milly Moo Right Now Foundation, the charity set up by Amelia’s parents Donna and Jon, of Lodge Hill Lane, to provide free holidays for children with leukaemia.
Amelia loved going to Haven holiday parks and the family had hoped for one last holiday together but they never got time.
So in 2014, after raising £40,000, the charity bought a caravan at Allhallows Leisure Park. Since then dozens of families have enjoyed making special memories there, while the Foundation has continued to raise funds for the fees, bills and upkeep of the caravan.
Peter Stokes, from Rainham, said: “Our inspiration is always Milly. I was like an honorary grandparent to her – she called me Pop.
“I’m a keen cyclist but my sons are not so it was the furthest they had ever ridden in a day. It was a lovely thing to do – to spend all day with my sons – and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
"We were so pleased to see Dover Castle appear in front of us near the end and we were so pleased we did it. It was quite emotional to reach the end.”
The bike ride also helped raise awareness of the foundation’s latest venture Milly Moo Here For You emergency boxes.
The charity is delivering survival kits to Medway Maritime Hospital and the Royal Marsden in London, inspired by mum Stacie Murray, who contacted Milly Moo last December when her young son Callum was admitted to hospital.
Donna Reeve said: “The lead up to Christmas is always a difficult time for us because it is Milly’s birthday and when she was diagnosed.
“Being contacted by Stacie made me think back to when Milly was diagnosed and what could have helped us. It was a rush, we didn’t have anything with us when we were transferred by ambulance to London.
“When your child is in that situation, the last thing you want to do is leave their bedside. The survival kits mean parents will have those small things to hand that will make such a difference.”
There are boxes for adults, containing essentials such as a toothbrush, shampoo and packets of instant soup, as well as boxes for children with toys, puzzles and colouring books.
Milly’s parents marked her 10th birthday by releasing pink balloons with their younger children, Jimmy, Poppy and Dougie.
The charity has been busy delivering Christmas presents to the children’s ward at Medway Maritime Hspital and posting gifts to all the children who have stayed at Milly’s caravan.
To donate, visit www.themillyfoundation.co.uk
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Jenni Horn