Teenager rides the length of Britain for hospice, by Gemma Rhodes

An original contemporary newspaper article.

A sixteen-year-old from Market Halton has cycled the length of Britain to raise money for the hospice that cared for his grandfather.

Torin Price set off from Land’s End on 28 July and reached John o’Groats thirteen days later, having ridden almost 1,000 miles. He was accompanied by his uncle, Steve, who drove a support van carrying spare tyres, a tent and, according to Torin, ‘an unreasonable amount of peanut butter’.

The pair camped most nights, although heavy rain in Cumbria forced them to spend two nights in a youth hostel. The hardest day, Torin said, was the climb through the Scottish Highlands, when a headwind slowed him almost to walking pace. ‘I nearly gave up that afternoon,’ he admitted. ‘Then I thought about the nurses who looked after Grandad, and I kept pedalling.’

Torin, who only began cycling seriously eighteen months ago, trained by riding to school and back every day, a round trip of twenty-two miles, and by doing longer rides at weekends.

His original target was £2,000 for Fernlea Hospice. By the time he reached the finish, friends, neighbours and strangers who followed his progress online had donated more than £9,400.

The hospice’s fundraising manager, Alison Sinclair, said the money would pay for a new garden room where patients and families can sit together.

(a) How many days did Torin’s ride take? (b) Who drove the support van? (c) How much money had been donated by the time Torin finished?