Nuneaton grandmother Cheryl Hartshorn, along with a group of other cyclists, has completed a mammoth 320-mile bike ride from Nuneaton to Normandy. Her aim was to honour those who died in the D-Day Landings, the largest invasion in history, in June 1944.
However their overall aim is to raise money in aid of charities supporting the troops of today in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.
Cheryl, 54, decided to volunteer when she met Carol Valentine, mother of Simon, a sergeant killed in Afghanistan whilst serving in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Carol had asked to hold the funeral reception at the Civic Hall, where Cheryl is front of house manager, and they soon became friends.
Cheryl has also previously taken on a 40 mile walk, joining ex-Fusilier Nigel Potter on the last leg of his journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End in 2010.
Her aim, along with her fellow riders and team of admin and supporters, is to raise £15,000 for charities supporting the soldiers: the Fusiliers Aid Society, the Forces Children’s Trust, and the Fusiliers Memorial Trust. The fund-raiser has been named Operation Sword in memory of the D-Day Landings on June 6, 1944, where the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, now the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, landed on Sword Beach.