Bournemouth group to take on cycle ride in memory of Faye Holden

The company will be taking on the 100-mile cycle ride today in memory of Faye Holden who died in 2016 at the age of 25 after suffering a massive epileptic seizure, three months after giving birth to her son Austin.

To make the challenge harder, the group will be attempting the complete the challenge in one day.

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Ollie Goldsmith, Faye’s brother said: “I wanted to do something different this year, but my feet were falling apart so wanted to mix it up and try cycling or a change.

“Epilepsy Research are the main charity we have been raising money for over the past couple of years.

“When Faye was alive, she used to raise money for the Smile4Wessex which is a charity based at the Wessex Neurological Centre in Southampton.

“Her consultations were done there, and her pacemaker was installed there as well. Personally, I have wanted to raise money for this charity for a while so this time we want to raise money for them both.”

Ollie, from Southbourne, will be joined by his dad John Goldsmith, and friends Guy Taylor, Josh Head, Sasha Hashtroudi and Ollie Fensom.

Having started their training during lockdown last year, the group have slowly built up their miles ahead of the big day on Saturday.

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The 29-year-old added: “We are all pretty new to cycling. We all had a bit more time as we were working from home, and we weren’t having to commute.

“We have been doing long rides on Saturday mornings. The longest one we have done so far is just over 60 miles but on Saturday we will be doing 100 miles, so we have got a little bit further to go.

“I think we are all ready. We had a group meeting last week where we were sorting out logistics, so I think we have got everything prepared now.”

Following his sister’s death, Ollie and the rest of the group have taken part in various fundraising activities, raising over £14,000 in Faye’s memory.

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Having set up a crowdfunding page with a target of £1,500, the group have already amassed over £2,500 worth of donations and are looking o double their total by the end of their challenge.

“You see a lot of people cycling to Rome or even further, so we weren’t expecting that many donations as we thought people weren’t going to see it as much of a challenge,” said Ollie.

“But I think it doesn’t really matter about what you do in the end, as long as it is for a good cause. People have taken the time to read my story and why we are doing the cycle challenge and I think that has helped a lot with donations.

“Faye had a little boy a few months before she died so he has almost carried on her legacy.

“He is only five so he doesn’t really understand yet but, eventually, I will sit him down and tell him about his mum and for him to see what we as a group have done since will hopefully make him proud.”

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