Cyclist's 1,000-mile trek in memory of tragic cousin

Jamie Parkin, 40, will follow in his late cousin Dean Laing’s tracks and cycle the length of the country to raise funds for charity.

Dean, 37, was killed in a hit and run accident in Durham City on November 10, 2012.

Six years earlier, he had completed a 2,500-mile trek from Durham to Lands End, back up Durham on to John O’ Groats in Scotland and back to Durham again.

Now his cousin Jamie plans to tackle a 1,000-mile trek in his memory this summer from John O’ Groats to Lands End and back to Durham.

He said: “I am going to cycle from one end of the country to the other on my bike and trailer.

“Dean’s dad gave me Dean’s mountain bike so it is very sentimental and it was the same bike he used on his trip.

“My mum Doreen Parkin also died from lung cancer aged 72 in November, so I am doing it for three charities: Treetops Children’s ward at the University Hospital of North Durham, Macmillan and Marie Curie.”

Setting off this summer Jamie will cycle the 1,000 mile route varying his milage day-to-day, ranging from 60 to 70 miles a day, in the hope of completing his journey within two weeks.

Jamie, a joiner from Gilesgate, added: “Dean raised quite a bit of money for Treetops when he did it and Macmillan and and Marie Curie helped when my mum was poorly, so I am hoping to raise as much as I can.

“It was always in my mind to do it after Dean died then not long after that my mum got diagnosed so it was put on hold.

“I am looking forward to it, but it is a bit daunting as well. It’s a great thing to look back on and say you’ve done.”

To donate visit: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/jamieparkin1

To sponsor by means of clothing or equipment email: [email protected]