Clowne dad bikes 150 miles for charity which helped his critically ill baby daughter

Hospitality trainer Kev Morris, 41, pedalled 150 miles to Skegness and back on Saturday, May 3, in support of the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund, accompanied by his dad Phil and brother Steve.

They set off from Kev’s Creswell home at around 4am and returned around 14 hours later, having successfully navigated any obstacle which threatened to derail their progress.

Kev said: “We had a lovely morning ride aside from cycling some of it in the dark. We saw the sunrise as we cycled east which was amazing, then arrived at Skegness to sunshine in just over five hours and 15 minutes.

“The ride home was just brutal though. The weather started to change just after we set off. It was windy, cloudy, raining and cold. By the time we got to Wragby the weather had started to pick up again however we were starting to feel tired after we passed Lincoln.

“Then there was a car crash at Tuxford, and the paramedics on scene suggested we turn around due to the road being shut. Thankfully Nottinghamshire Police asked what we were doing and waved us through after seeing our t-shirts, nobody seemed to be seriously hurt. Had we been turned back we would’ve added more miles and hours on.

“We kept going by knowing why we were doing the bike ride and knowing every marker on the way home was a step closer to home.”

In some sense, the family’s journey began 11 years ago, when Kev and his wife Natalie were expecting their first child, Isabel.

Pregnancy scans revealed Isabel had multiple heart defects which required specialist maternity care at the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit, emergency interventions for oxygen deficiency and then life-saving surgery before her first birthday.

Natalie said: “When I was first sent up to Leeds, no one had really explained why. It was a big shock and we were just going up there blind. There were some scary moments.

“But from the minute we were first referred, the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund looked after us. Anything we ever needed, we could ring up and there would be someone there to help We’re very thankful for everything they’ve done.”

Kev added: “When Isabel was born she was in hospital for ten days. She was the patient so Natalie and I had to find somewhere else to stay – those hotel rooms would have cost us a lot.

“She’ll need another operation in the next next couple of years to help prolong her life by replacing the pulmonary valve between her heart and lungs, but other than that Isabel’s doing really well.

“She has nonverbal autism and sensory processing disorder but her cardio doctors are really impressed with her. People don’t believe me when we tell them she’s got a complex heart condition. She’s constantly moving and her energy amazes her teachers at Stubbin Wood.”

The Morris family’s appreciation for the charity has tallied up to around £19,000 in fundraising over the past few years. Natalie running regular event stalls and Kev making an annual tradition of the Sheffield Half-Marathon.

Isabel won a number of community commendations during the pandemic too with daily sponsored walks.

Natalie said: “The charity makes such a huge difference. We’ve met lots of families in similar situations, and some who have lost their children. It’s heart-breaking but the fund keeps on supporting them afterwards.

“It pays for life-saving equipment, it’s built new operating theatres, it pays for a family support worker, gives keepsakes to the children and organises family days out a. The charity even pays for a fish tank at the hospital, and it’s a big moment in the child’s recovery when they’re able to walk to it for the first time.”

In a previous fundraising venture, Kev, Phil and Steve took on a one-way bike ride from Skegness so they knew the round trip would be a tall order.

Kev said: “We get together to ride about every Saturday, but this was something dad always wanted to do. I don’t know why he waited until he was 68.”

Clowne resident Phil, who works at the Bilstein auto component factory in Staveley, led from the front.

Kev said: “It started off as pub talk but then we put a date on it and started training. It took about eight weeks to get to this level. There was a bit of trepidation in the last fortnight but once we got up to about 75 miles in a day we felt we could probably manage the rest.

“Dad’s probably the fittest of all three of us. If you see him walking you wouldn’t think he’d get on a bike – he shuffles around. But stick him on two wheels and I can’t keep up.”

To add to the family’s fundraising, go to justgiving.com/page/kev-morris-2911.

To learn more about the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund and its work, visit www.chsf.org.uk.