Harborough-based Shire Horse Society takes on 190-mile cycle challenge in memory of teen who lost her life to cancer

The team rode a gruelling 190 miles to raise money in Lulu's memory.

Lulu’s grandfather is a longstanding member of the Shire Horse Society

Members of the Harborough-based Shire Horse Society took on a 190-mile cycle to raise funds in honour of a teenager who died from cancer.

The group rode from Liverpool Albert Dock to Flamborough Head in Yorkshire, over four days in memory of Lulu Blundell. The 19-year-old passed away from Ewing sarcoma – a cancer which affects bones or surrounding tissue.

Organiser Victoria Clayton was joined on the cycle challenge by fellow equestrians Helen Preece, Ruth Burgess, Rhys Griffith, Helen Yates, and Greg Rawlins.

The team has raised some £8,000 for the Bone Cancer Research Trust.

Lulu’s grandfather, Mike Blundell, is a longstanding member of the Shire Horse Society.

Farmer Ruth Burgess, from Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley, is often seen on television shows and can be seen competing with the farms Shires.

The unstoppable team raised just over £7,550 and counting to help find kinder and more effective treatments for patients like Lulu.

The teenager was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, the second most common form of primary bone cancer in children and young adults, when she was 15 years old. She received clear scans until developing pain in her shoulder which she initially put down as a sports injury.

Her treatment involved extensive chemotherapy, followed by the amputation of her leg and, in 2020, she was given the all-clear.

However, two years later, when Lulu was studying at Newcastle University, a CT scan showed that the cancer was back and had spread throughout her body. She passed away on New Year’s Day 2023.

Siobhan Cullen, from the Bone Cancer Research Trust, said: “We are so grateful to the Shire Horse Society for taking on this incredible challenge in memory of Lulu. On behalf of all future patients, their families and all of us here at the charity, I would like to wish a heartfelt thank you to such wonderful supporters.”

The Teenage Cancer Trust, which also supported Lulu, released a short film celebrating Lulu's life including footage of her ‘Run with Lulu’ fundraising event in aid of young people with cancer, four months before her death. It is part of the charity's #talkaboutdying campaign and is called Lulu:Forever 19.

Visit the team’s JustGiving page to donate to their cause.