Andy Perrin, a former Royal Signals Sergeant from Barnet, London, is one of a team of six wounded veterans who use cycling to help overcome a variety of mental and physical health challenges – from PTSD and spinal injuries to arm paralysis and chronic illnesses – who are urging others to join them and saddle up to raise vital funds for fellow wounded and sick veterans.
Andy, 42, has signed up to take part in Help for Heroes’ new cycling fundraiser, Heroes Ride 200, which asks participants to ride 200 miles, individually or cumulatively as a team, anywhere, and on any bike, between 1st and 30th June. Along with five other veterans, he has created a special veterans’ team, the ‘Heroes Team’, who have signed up together for mutual support and motivation. They also aim to highlight the positive impact of cycling on physical and mental wellbeing, while promoting the inclusivity of Heroes Ride 200 as a cycling event. Andy will be cycling a staggering 800 miles on his racing bike, both outside and on his turbo trainer at home.
After suffering a knee injury after putting too much stress on his joints when on operational tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan during his 12 years in the Armed Forces, Andy went on to develop Crohn’s disease and depression which put him out of active service.
It took a while for Andy’s Crohn’s to be brought under control. During this time, he used cycling initially for his rehabilitation and joined Help for Heroes fellowship, the Band of Brothers, taking on some amazing challenges, including Race across America in 2017, and his gold-winning performance at the Invictus Games.
The full-time teacher has also been instrumental in allowing Help for Heroes to offer an adapted form of sports recovery to wounded veterans during the pandemic, using his experience and knowledge as a cyclist to help the charity set up its Zwift account, an app that allows for online cycling in a virtual world.
Between now and the end of June, Andy and his fellow Heroes Team members will be telling their stories, training tips and progress on social media which will be shared on Help for Heroes’ own social media channels. They even hope they will be able to meet up for a finale to the challenge on 30th June if Covid restrictions allow!
Whilst 200 miles is a challenging, but far from impossible, distance for most weekend cyclists, it can be a huge individual challenge for many veterans who have been injured or become ill as a result of their time in the Armed Forces. This is why Heroes Ride 200 is encouraging teams as well as individuals to sign up so that, even if someone only feels able to cycle five miles, they are still contributing and making a difference to the team total.
Andy says, “Help for Heroes’ income comes from the great British public, but it experienced a 65% loss to its income from events in 2020 due to the pandemic. At the same time, demand for the charity’s services is going up. During the first lockdown, there was a 33% increase in those coming forward for mental health support.
To sign up to Heroes Ride 200 visit https://heroesride.helpforheroes.org.uk/.