Eight-year-old Denny inspired to cycle 200 miles in aid of EAAA

When somebody close to him needed the help of East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA), aspiring cyclist, eight-year-old Denny Willliams was inspired to jump into the saddle to raise funds by completing a 200-mile fundraising challenge.

We became aware of Denny’s challenge when their local club, Boxford Bike Club, decided to support EAAA through their annual Boxford ‘Tornado’ event. Club Secretary, Kevin Bridge,  mentioned that Denny was hoping to complete his challenge at the event. We were already overwhelmed by the kindness and support from the entire local cycling community and couldn’t wait for the Tornado and to hear more about Denny’s challenge.

Denny wanted to support EAAA because we attended his godfather, former professional motocross rider, Ryan Houghton.

Denny’s Dad, James, explains: “Ryan was embarking on a decent pro career when he was involved in an awful accident at a track near Woodbridge in Suffolk. He made one of the best starts of his life before he collided with another rider and hit a tree.”

EAAA was tasked to bring urgent, critical care to Ryan at the scene. He was then airlifted to hospital. Thankfully Ryan made a good recovery but retired from the sport.

James and a friend later ran the Chelmsford Marathon in 2021 and raised over £4,000 between for EAAA. In the meantime, Denny took up cycle training.

James continues: “Denny didn’t actually start proper training or racing until the summer of 2023. As it turned out, he is a natural rider, and he entered a full off-road season over the autumn/winter and finished 6th in the Eastern League Cyclocross series Under 10s gaining Two podiums along the way. He is extremely competitive and wants to be on the bike almost every day! He rides for Hadleigh Cycling Club and would never have got this far in racing without the help and inspiration from his coach, Benson Ho.”

In January 2024, Denny asked his Dad about the possibility of riding 200 miles for charity and things began to align with their local bike club at Boxford.

“I agreed and although I'm reasonably fit, I had never cycled that far before and wasn't certain either of us would stick the distance,” James says. “Despite our reservations, we organised ourselves (I even had to buy a suitable bike) and planned to finish the 200-miles at the Boxford Tornado event in April 2024.” James continues.

“East Anglian Air Ambulance seemed like the perfect choice, but it was pure coincidence that EAAA was also the charity of choice for the Tornado.  I spoke to the Boxford Cycle Club, and they were really pleased to have us attend the race, despite Denny's age, and would help us out where they could.” 

The father and son duo were committed and got the miles in, day by day. Denny loved it as he grew closer to reaching his 200-mile target.

“We were ever so excited by the prospect of the final leg at the Tornado – but, on the day, our efforts were cut short by the terrible weather after 12 miles; two wet and cold cycling soldiers couldn't take anymore!” James says.

Despite just missing out on crossing the finish line, Denny and James were comforted and very surprised by the welcome they received from Boxford Bike Club and the EAAA volunteers on the day, who had taken along a ‘goodie bag’ of thanks for Denny.

“It was a humbling experience to be a mini celebrity for an hour.” James adds.

Denny and James’ cycling has been so well supported by family, friends and work colleagues, and they have amassed very close to £1,000 in donations which is “far and beyond what we expected to receive.”
 

With the Boxford Tornado also raising £1,500 local cyclists have really come together to help save lives across the region. 120 riders completed either the sixty- or thirty-mile routes taking in the countryside of the Stour Valley and the heart of Constable country – despite the dreadful weather on the day! It truly is a wonderful example of the community coming together for a good cause.

Andrew Renshaw, Chairman of Boxford Cycle Club, says: "We were delighted to support EAAA and that Denny wished to complete his 200 mile challenge at the Tornado. The weather was not kind on the day, but he gave it a good go. Many riders did not achieve their aims on the day and others did not start at all. We hope to see him at future events!’’

Denny says: "I was happy to do the challenge, but the Tornado was quite hard! My 17-miles (the longest ride we did) was easy and some of the other rides were easy too. Two of them were hard, but what got me to the finish was my determination." 

James adds: “I'm just so glad we have helped EAAA out and raised some money to aid the cause. I hope we have done the charity proud.”

A sincere thank you to Denny, James and the incredible cyclists from the Boxford Cycle Club for their life-saving support for EAAA.

Image credit: Benson Ho Photography