Andy Williams’s Olympian-like cycling for Cedar Foundation included east Antrim

Andy Williams clocked up an incredible 121 miles on his bike in one day for the Cedar charity’s ‘Inreach’ service.

After travelling from Cushendall to Newcastle, Co Down, Andy said: “I’ve always loved cycling and never really had a channel to use it positively, until now.” 
The Wigan native now living in Northern Ireland went on to explain his motivation for the cycling feat, which included practice runs to Carrickfergus and a brief stop for a photo at Larne.

“I think what motivated me was knowing what these families and young people mean to my partner Kirsty who works for Cedar’s Inreach service. It is not so much a job for her, but more a vocation as she supports families with disabled children to live a more normal life through the respite a short break provides,” said Andy.

“In life we take so many things for granted such as showering, shopping, cleaning, free time. The families that the Cedar Foundation supports, have to plan, and hope for a helping hand. The respite the service gives helps the parents to do these things. The one-to-one time these wonderful children receive is also so important.”

Andy is no stranger to endurance challenges in aid of a good cause. Last year, he rode coast to coast in England for the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice.

He added: “This year Kirsty suggested I ride for Cedar. I can tell you I am walking ten feet tall at the minute and will most definitely ride for Cedar again next year.”

The Cedar Foundation delivers a range of services that supports people with disabilities, autism and brain injury. Inreach is a flexible short break service for families of children aged 0-18 years living within the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, with complex physical and health care needs.
Carrieanne , service manager for Short Breaks at the charity, commented: “We are so grateful to Andy for choosing our service and we are delighted that he has achieved his cycling challenge and is already planning ahead for his next year’s cycle for Inreach. He can be rest assured that he is making a vital difference to the highly demanded services we provide.“

If you would like to support Andy’s effort, go to https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AndrewWilliams157/1

--

Click here to read: Sir Mo Farah confirms he is to be in attendance at Antrim Coast Half Marathon

--

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.