"On the 6th June 2010, our team of 4 commenced our extraordinary journey through Europe on the 1000 Mile Battlefield Bike Ride in order to raise money for ‘Help for Heroes’. Across the three weeks that followed we made our way from Caen in Normandy; through France, Belgium, Germany and Holland visiting many war memorials, battlefields and encountering interesting and helpful people on our way.This event was ran on a minimum budget using mountain bikes and bergans in order to transport all our kit and ourselves for the full 1000 miles. We camped in tents that were carried on our persons and spent the majority of the nights sleeping rough. I don’t think any of us will ever forget being woken up by an Aldi worker telling us we can no longer sleep here as she needs to open her shop or stopping for coffees just for the luxury of proper amenities!
Having spent the journey visiting so many memorials it really was an eye opening experience which truly did bring home the scale of sacrifice made by generations before us and that same sacrifice which is still being made today to help make the world a safer place.
On the 6th June, D-Day, when we landed in Caen it was incredible to see the numbers that had turned out to show their appreciation and even those who I had the great privilege of conversing with that had been there on D-Day, some being veterans. Another memory which will stay with me is the service held at the Menin Gate in Ypres every evening. This service of remembrance has been held every night since the signing of the armistice treaty and the bugler has never once played to nobody. To be in the crowd at this service truly was an emotional experience for all of us and it was just so great to see that generations before us have not been forgotten."
