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From left: Phil Shimmin, Bobby Syme and Nick Haxby

A group of Isle of Man Constabulary colleagues have raised more than £4,500 after completing the Royal British Legion’s Pedal to Paris event.

 

With support from the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, Nick Haxby, Bobby Syme and Phil Shimmin, who all live in Douglas, travelled to the UK by ferry and drove south to London, where they formed part of a 120-strong group which left Greenwich.

 

From there, they covered 76 miles and 4,000 ft of hills to reach the port of Dover.

 

Once across the English Channel they completed a gruelling 83 mile stretch from Calais to Abbeville on day two, rode 65 miles from Abbeville to Beauvais on day three and finally, day four saw the riders cover 60 miles and arrive in Paris, ride along The Avenue des Champs-Elysee and finish under the Arc de Triomphe on closed roads.

 

The cyclists funded their own trip and raised money for the Royal British Legion through a range of events, including a bingo and raffle which the Steam Packet Company also contributed to. The Masonic lodges in Douglas and Peel gave money from their social events and there were collection tubs at various spots around the island.

 

The riders also organised an evening with war veteran, Hector Duff, who gave a fascinating talk about his experiences in World War Two at the Market Hall in Douglas. In addition, the venue raised money for the Royal British Legion during this year’s TT festival.

 

Detective Sergeant Nick Haxby said: ‘Thank you to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company for its generous assistance with our travel and the donation of a raffle prize, as well as all the other local businesses that supported our efforts. To date we have raised £4,551.74 which is amazing.'

 

‘Our group was originally four, but unfortunately two had to drop out, and we were able to recruit one replacement last minute which we were grateful for. Each day the Royal British Legion held a ceremony in honour of those who died during the world wars, so we would ride with the fallen never far from our thoughts. It was certainly a challenging but highly rewarding experience.’

 

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