545. Burnham Beats Reform: Britain’s Next Prime Minister?
19 June 2026
Getting something good from a double tragedy – please support the Beldon Challenge
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13 March 2012
I have written on here before about the tragic death of Gareth Crockett, who was killed in Anglessey last year whilst trying to raise £10,000 by cycling more than 500 miles and running four marathons in eight days, culminating in the London Marathon. He was driven to raise funds in memory of a friend who had died, and died himself doing so, long before reaching London. Now his friends are planning to finish the journey that Gareth, 27, from County Down, began. Here his friend Jez Davison explains more.
The original Beldon Challenge was born after the death of our good friend John Erwin - A brilliant, fun loving and passionate cyclist from Northern Ireland who went to uni and worked in London. He was diagnosed with leukaemia in April 2010 and died three weeks later.
John was a big fan of cycling and so Gareth and I, with our mutual love of a gruelling physical challenge and wearing lycra at any opportunity, created the now infamous Beldon Challenge. The plan was for Gareth, Neil and I to cycle over 500 miles from Belfast to London in eight days, completing four marathons along the way (Belfast, Dublin, Bristol and London). We were attempting to raise a tonne of cash for the brilliant Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research charity. Tragically on day four of the challenge Gareth was killed by a motorist as we cycled through north Wales.
Gareth and John grew up together in Moira, near Belfast. They are both now buried there. So it seems fitting to complete it properly and finish what we initially started. Jonny, Gareth's younger brother, and I will pick it up from mid Wales on the 19th April, near where Gareth died, and finish with thee London marathon on 22nd April. Having raised almost £50,000 from last year's challenge we are trying to raise even more in memory of both John and Gareth.
Please help us support the amazing Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research charity by donating at www.justgiving.com/2012Beldon and follow our painful lycra clad training on Twitter @jez_davison and @Crockers18
The 2012 Beldon itinerary:
Thursday 19th April - 125mile cycle from Welshpool to Bristol.
Friday 20th April - 26.2 mile marathon in Bristol.
Saturday 21st April - 125 mile cycle from Bristol to London
Sunday 22nd April - 26.2 mile Virgin London Marathon
The link is wrong – head to
http://www.justgiving.com/2012Beldon
A very sad cause and a very praiseworthy endeavour. Will donate.
The correct website link is http://www.justgiving.com/2012Beldon
Yes, a day to day motorist was in collision with him. When I was young, cycled everywhere on my Raleigh Europa, and had a few close shaves, got taken out by a Renault 16 reversing out of a drive, got swept by a motorcyclist at a traffic light when my derreuler chain went cog off and I was everywhere, and the number of times I dissappeared into the sceanary at a corner is uncountless – still got the scars on my body to show – the worst when I smacked my head on a farmer’s field gate and almost took my eye out, half an inch it was.
It sends the ebbie geebies up me those trucks that passed me then – christ, I was lucky.
Furthermore, and this is a true story, on my Raleigh Europa, overtook a Morris Minor and a bus down Bryngwili Hill, I was hammering it, my feet were a blur round the pedals, I must have been doing fifty. Honest, passed them down the dotted whiteline in the middle of the road. I didn’t hang around to pick their lower jaws up off the floor, just waved, while I panted.
Very moving and inspirational in equal measure. You have my absolute respect and I’m pleased to support.
All the best,
Duncan.
…and by the way, the Morris Minor didn’t quite look like this, it was green. Blimey, that is a big engine!
http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-1960-1969/1960-Morris-Minor-custom-ggr.jpg
BIG HUGE BLIMEY, Alastair, beeb sport have found Gareth Edwards try and dusted it of, gay Parii, 1971 – “Barry John tackling, John Williams on the interception,,,” We’re looking forward to a cracker against our frog friends this Saturday, life will stop still in the rest of Wales for a couple of hours.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/17366082
What were we talking about again?
Know you tend to dart it, Alastair, but Scottish independence is all about how England treat their own country, and frankly, they treat it poor, quite shitty. We hear of the poor states in the US of A, but we are a smaller and can be a more efficient country, but something is wrong, exremely dysfunctional, and those idiots in the SE of England are sitting on their hands, not doing anything imaginative, while Scotland could very well float off.
Any sense in what I am saying, Alastair? I think there is. And also, come off your fence Alastair, and say what you think. This is important about my Britain. Yes, MY Britain.
The more
I read of your woes, the woes of other people lived through you, and absolute
strangers woes that you feel so closely, and woes yet lurking who knows where,
the more I feel you should ride a bike on a fast highway, haphazardly, going against
the traffic, and not wearing a helmet. You never know, we could get lucky.
Des Currie
Both links connect to the site but using Firefox browser I wasn’t able to pass through from its ‘donate’ button.
If anyone has the same problem, type
/donate
after word Beldon in either link and be passed through.
Having said that, my Firefox has been dodgy for a week since acquiring a Trojan from a certain consulate’s website and despite much screaming and stamping and scanning (so it might not be a site problem).
Ok I will donate £20 to this charity.
£40 if you wear a “Cameron is a twat” Tshirt.
I pity your neighbours so much if you have any in that hell you dwell in.
You’ve got a lovely way with words with DP-M 🙂
And, please Alistair. if you have got room on the crossbars, take her as well.
What are you saying we do a charmed offensive before who we meet these days?…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfcpwf3w6bU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUNpvcfB0IQ
The second one above is actually from french-speaking Belguim, but ce la vie, what is the difference at the end of the day, mon ami? Actually had a scottish grandfather, McCabbe. As well as the name, you can tell by the Linwood Scots built Hillman Imp that appears in his vid, and his Jim Clark chequered motor racing trousers. But let me all let you make what he is saying decide about his lost head – very dark bit of comedy there, but the rest is incredibly Benny Hill-like hillarious.