Jimi Dally, age 56 from Leicester, decided to cycle around the UK and the east coast of Ireland earlier this year in memory of his parents who both died within a year of each other, between 2023 and 2024. Jimi wanted to raise awareness of the importance of hospice care after his parents were unable to access it themselves. Here is his story.
"My challenge was to cycle 3,000 miles earlier this year, starting at LOROS in Leicester and heading anticlockwise mainly around the UK coastline.
The whole ride was about remembering my parents, but it was also about giving something back.
My mum, Sarah Dally, died at home from breast cancer and received tremendous palliative care there. My dad, Chris Dally, wanted to go into a hospice because he didn't want to be a burden to us, but sadly, despite trying, we couldn't get him into LOROS due to the shortage of beds.
Last year I had seen in the press the funding situation facing LOROS and hospices in general, and I thought I could raise some much-needed funds for LOROS while also spreading a message wherever I went about the chronic underfunding of hospices across the country.
One of my favourite LOROS memories came after the Stomp Round Leicester art trail last summer.
I purchased Rose in memory of my mum and dad. When Rose was at the rally park during the trail, I used to cycle past her every day on my way to the gym and say hello. My wife, Suman, and I then decided to try and bid for her at the auction.
We really enjoyed the evening and, when we saw what the first elephant went for, we didn't think we would have a chance. We had set a figure we were happy to go to and, when it went above that figure, Suman tried to get the paddle off me. Fortunately she didn't, and we managed to get Rose.
I cried when the auctioneer said it was us that had won Rose, as it felt like I had got part of my parents back. Their favourite flower was a rose, and she now sits nestled at the bottom of our garden amongst the trees and brings a smile to my face every time I see her. She was also centre stage at my homecoming after the ride and is now a lovely part of our DillyDally family.
The route took me along some beautiful coastline up the east coast of England before spending 18 days navigating the amazing scenery of Scotland. From Cairnryan on the west coast of Scotland, I caught a ferry to Belfast in Northern Ireland, before continuing through Ireland and finishing in Rosslare. I then caught another ferry to Fishguard in Wales and continued my adventure around the amazing coastline of the UK, finally finishing back home in Leicester.
I encountered some horrendous weather conditions at the top of Scotland with the highest wind speed at nearly 40mph, and I spent seven full days in waterproofs.
It gets a tad soul-destroying when you're pedalling in extreme weather and not getting any further forward. In those situations, you have to rely on your mental strength to realise that you can get through the tough days and that better conditions and better days lay ahead.
We live on an amazingly beautiful island and I saw oodles of beautiful things along the way, but what kept me going were people. I was fortunate to have support drivers all the way round, who put up with all the different Jimis that arrived at the end of the day, depending on what the day had thrown at me. However, I also met so many strangers who didn't need to but helped me along the way with their kind words, their donations and, in some instances, helping with my bike maintenance. We truly do live on an island of beautiful, caring people.
Emotionally, my ride was all about my parents. I carried them in my heart, but I also carried them physically with me. I had lots of long chats with them each day while I was cycling, and it was the quietest my dad has ever been! I even forgave him for dying on my birthday.
Before he passed, we asked where he wanted his ashes scattering and my dad just said, "Mix me in with your mum and put us in the bin."
Instead, I took eight small tubes of their ashes with me and dropped them off in different locations around the UK and Ireland. On a couple of occasions, I misjudged the wind direction and, yep, you guessed it, I did inhale some of the parents.
The most emotional drop-off was the final one. I had cycled with one tube of ashes in the top pocket of my cycling shirt for the duration of the ride. On my very last ride back home to Leicester, I cycled through Watermead Park, said my final farewell to my parents and left them in a lovely, tranquil spot in the water.
I found those 50-odd days cycling with my parents very cathartic and a beautiful way to say au revoir.
So far, I have raised more than £8,000, but I would love to get that to £10,000. To try and achieve this, I'm taking part in the LOROS 100-mile cycle around Leicestershire on 5th September, followed by the LOROS Half Marathon on 11th October. Hopefully I can reach that £10,000 milestone by the finish of those events.
By the numbers
3,003 miles cycled
302 hours in the saddle
48 days cycling
4 rest days
2 punctures
9 ferries
49 different beds
3 ice creams
9 support drivers
7 full days in waterproofs
Highest wind speed: 38mph
Every mile was for Mum and Dad, and every donation helps ensure that more families can receive the care and support they deserve through LOROS."
