Cyclist team from Treliske to lead out the Tour of Britain in Cornwall
Pedal4Patients is made up of staff and patients who are raising money for the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust charity
A team of cyclists, made up of staff and former patients from Treliske, are going to kick start the Tour of Britain in Cornwall.
The Pedal4Patients team are doing a charity ride from Plymouth to Land's End later in September to raise money for the Royal Cornwall Hospital.
But before that takes place, they get to cycle ahead of the official Tour of Britain race when the first stage starts in Penzance on Sunday (5th September), in the 'Ride for Heroes'.
One of those taking part is Deb Grills, who lives near Liskeard, and joined the team after she was given life-saving care at the hospital two years ago.
"It was an opportunity to say the biggest thank you, because the team at Treliske saved my life. I came in for some surgery and ended up needing the brilliant care of ITU and a very large number of people.
"It's quite emotional because I don't think I'll ever stop remembering that experience and that I'm able to return to a fabulous lifestyle that I thought would be taken away."
Paul Lidder is a colorectal surgeon who has worked at RCHT for 10 years, and is also part of the team.
He said: "Well I think the hospital is a key part of our Cornish community, we are one hospital serving the whole of Cornwall so we are in a slightly unique position.
"I think over the last 18 months to two years with Covid we've been particularly hard hit.
"We're currently Covid capital of the UK, if you look at the popular press, that's had a huge impact upon patient care and the resilience of the staff who are caring for those patients."
Originally the team were meant to take on a big cycle challenge in 2020, from London to Paris, but that got cancelled because of the pandemic.
Now they are set to embark on their Plymouth to Land's End ride on the 24th of September.