Christopher Irven (B53)
Chris Irven’s first long-distance solo cycle journey in 1996 was to regain control of his life after serious injury. This latest journey, his fourth and, at the age of 75, the most arduous, was to raise money for Help for Heroes, the charity supporting rehabilitation of injured servicemen and women. So far, he has raised £23,000 and the proceeds of this book will add to that.
It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Having watched a TV documentary about two soldiers being rehabilitated after
losing limbs in Afghanistan, Chris and his wife Molly were struck by the
support of their loved ones and their own determination to move on – if possible to re-join their units, but at least to
stand on parade to receive their medals. Chris became deeply conscious of what
he describes as “admiration from an armchair” and wondered what he might do in
a practical way to help. But it was more than that. As an army man, he wanted
in some small way to share their suffering. This might sound high-flown, but he
assures us it isn’t; compassion is “messy, sweaty, sometimes bloody… carrying
the cross.” Having slept on it, the next morning he made his decision: he would
cycle the length and breadth of Britain to raise money for their
rehabilitation.
This is the story of that pilgrimage.