Back in September 2021, three men set out on a journey of more than 4000 miles on Honda 50 Cubs. Starting and finishing in their hometown of Carlisle, their mission was to ride the extreme coastline of the UK on Honda 50 Cubs, retro bikes which have a maximum speed limit of 38mph.
The three men, affectionately known as Monkey, Dee and Bowie, are all local to Carlisle and are lifelong motorcycle enthusiasts, with two working full time at Complete Engineering Services, Carlisle. They set up this challenge to raise money for causes and charities close to home and dear to the three of them. The first charity, Blood Bikers Cumbria, transports essential blood and medical supplies out of hours for the NHS in North Cumbria. This charity was chosen by Dee who, a blood biker and treasurer of the charity. The second cause, the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, provides lifesaving care for people every day. It was chosen by Monkey, who, in January 2021, was hospitalised with Covid-19 and was saved by the incredible staff at the Cumberland Infirmary. The third charity, Lymphoma Action, was chosen in support of a close associate of Monkey and Bowie’s, Jake Jonston aged 25, who has been battling with a form of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The final charity, Jigsaw Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice, provides essential care and support for terminally ill children and young people in the area. Motivated by to raise money for these crucial causes, the team geared up and made a start to this enormous challenge.
The first leg of the journey, untaken back in 2021, had the team start from their hometown of Carlisle and finish in Holy Island, Scotland. Travelling round some of the Scottish islands on route, the first leg of the journey clocked in at an astounding 1434 miles.
The second leg of the challenge started at Holy Island and ended in Exeter. Travelling down the East coast of the UK, this leg of the journey totalled 1195 miles and pushed the team well over the halfway mark of their target.
The final leg of the challenge, completed in August 2023, started in Exeter. From Exeter, the team rode to Land’s End and then back up the Western coastline of England and Wales to the Linton Holme Inn in Carlisle, via the Isle of Man. At the Linton Holme Inn, the team were greeted by a welcome party and celebrated their enormous accomplishment. The bikers were joined by Matt Darbyshire, Technical Sales Engineer at Ceratizit UK for this final leg of the challenge.
Ceratizit have provided tooling support and technical expertise to Complete Engineering Services for many years, and in that time have built a strong and longstanding relationship with the North Cumbrian company. Matt Darbyshire, the Technical Sales Engineer for the area, visits the company regularly and provides tooling and technical advice. Having heard about the challenge, Ceratizit were keen to show their support of the fantastic causes the men were riding for. As well as Matt volunteering to join the men for the final leg of their journey, Ceratizit made donations towards the fundraising target and spread the word about what the men were doing.
Thanks to their determination and to hundreds of generous donations, Three Old Men and 50 Cubs has so far raised over £11,200 and are still receiving donations on their GoFundMe page.
If you would like to donate to Three Old Men and 50 Cubs then please follow the link below.
