Oxfordshire man raises £5,000 for charity in memory of his best friend
Phil Strongman served alongside his best friend, Taff, in the RAF
A man from Oxfordshire has raised over £5,000 for Sobell House Hospice after cycling 8,000 miles which is the distance from RAF Brize Norton to the Falkland Islands.
Phil Strongman, 60, served in the RAF alongside his life-long best friend, Taff Geraint Owen, in the Falkland Islands for some time.
'It was certainly a blessing'
In Taff’s last few days, he was admitted to the Churchill Hospital and then admitted to Sobell House Hospice where he passed away last November.
Mr Strongman said: “I was able to sit with him by his, by his bedside, and we sort of said our goodbyes. So, for me it was certainly a blessing, and I hope he got some comfort from it as well.”
The 8,000-mile journey was planned to be covered over 12 months, but Mr Strongman pedalled his way in just over 11 months.
This meant that he finished on a very poignant day by “fate”, and he said: “It was quite fitting that I finished the ride on Taff's birthday, which was completely by fate. There was no design in it at all.”
"Taff’s spirit has been with me along the way"
Phil says that he’s “really pleased” that he’s completed the challenge in memory of his best friend and that he’s felt his best friend alongside him every step of the way.
Mr Strongman said: “I'm sure, Taff is up there, looking down and proud of what I've done.
“He was my lifelong friend, and I really do miss him a lot. I saw Taff every single week, we’d go out for a pint and just have a chat.
He added: “Cycling is my kind of church, when I've been in busy or in stressful jobs, I've always been out on my bike as that's where I do my thinking. That's where I do my unloading.
“Over the year, I have thought about Taff a lot, and there have been times, I'll be very honest with you, that there's been some tears on my bike.
“I genuinely do feel that Taff’s spirit has been with me along the way.”