Hitchin man cycles from Welwyn to Wales in dad's memory – The Comet

Joe-Joe Colman
Angus Archer from Hitchin (third from left) at the finish of his journey from Welwyn to Wales – Credit: British Heart Foundation
A Hitchin man raised thousands of pounds for charity after cycling from Welwyn to Wales to mark the 10th anniversary of his father’s death.
Angus Archer, 35, rode 300 miles from Welwyn to the Druidstone Hotel in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire in memory of his dad Jeff, who died from a heart attack in 2011, aged 58, while on holiday in the same hotel with his wife.
Angus said: “When Dad went on holiday, he seemed fine, but he woke up one morning with chest pains and feeling sick. 
“Mum called me to say Dad was ill and had been taken to hospital. Thirty minutes later I got another phone call saying he’d passed away. 
“I remember feeling utterly shocked, it was so unexpected. There hadn’t been any sign that this might happen.”
On his bike ride, Angus was joined by nine friends – and between them they have raised £16,000 for the British Heart Foundation and Cots for Tots, a charity which supports the neonatal care unit at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol.
Angus added: “Making this journey now was emotional. We arrived at the Druidstone Hotel 10 years to the day of my father’s death.
“It’s also a place that holds a lot of memories for me and my family. It was where Dad proposed to my mum, and it was where they had their honeymoon. My sister got married there and I stayed there on countless family holidays.
“I don’t pretend to be the fittest person. So, for me, this ride was a mission. But it was good to spend time with my friends and to raise money and awareness for charities.”
Angus and his friends have also set up their own charitable organisation called Mitis Covey to raise money for causes important to them.
Since being founded in 2019 they have helped to raise over £25,000 for different organisations.
BHF fundraising manager Sarah Cunningham said: “It was wonderful to meet the team in person before they set off on their epic journey. They had so many friends and family there to wave them off, it was very emotional.
“I would like to congratulate them all for their phenomenal fundraising efforts. The BHF will be using the money that it receives from this cycle ride to power our life-saving research.”
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