Stalybridge couple saddling up in tandem for good cause

A Stalybridge couple are cycling coast to coast to raise funds for Children with Cancer charity.

Megan and Mark Whittaker plan to ride 150 miles in one day on a tandem bicycle.

They’ll start their journey at 5am on June 26 and hope to finish between 9pm and midnight, travelling from Seascale to Whitby.

This incredibly tough challenge has 4,500 metres of hills and takes the couple up one of England’s steepest roads, Hardknott Pass.

But Megan and Mark believe their gruelling 12 and a half hours in the saddle will be worth it as they endeavour to raise awareness and fund the treatment of childhood cancer.

The cause is close to their heart, after Megan’s cousin lost her three-year-old daughter, Lily Mai, to a rare cancer.

It isn’t the first fundraising event the couple have completed on their tandem though - and most likely won’t be the last.

They bought the two-seater bicycle in 2015 after the passing of Megan’s Nanna Gertrude. Both her grandparents suffered from dementia so the first event the couple undertook in 2016 was for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Since then, they’ve done annual cycling events and have raised funds of more than £2,000 for dementia charities.

However, coast to coast is going to be their biggest fundraiser yet.

They hope to reach a donation target of £3,000 this year.

Megan has already received lots of support from her colleagues at Tameside Fostering Service.

The couple will continue to train throughout the month of May and June, clocking up hundreds of miles and helping children with cancer to ring their end of treatment bell.

To show them your support, go to 

Or to donate visit https://justgiving.com/fundraising/doubletroubletandemc2c

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