Funeral staff cycle 450 miles to raise funds

A PAIR of funeral parlour staff cycling 450 miles for charity broke for the last leg of their journey in Sackville Road.

And one of the pair, Doug Winterborn, 42, was met by his mother, Lib Dem councillor for Rother District Council, Frances Winterborn, who pronnounced him "a grand lad", and promised to feed him up for the final stretch.

Bexhill Town Mayor Jimmy Carroll was also on hand to wish them luck.

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Doug and colleague Simon Atkinson, 36, both work in Worthing for the Dignity Group of funeral directors. The group also has a branch in Sackville Road, run by funeral director Andy McKie.

Speaking on the fourth day of a five-day push to Margate, Doug and Simon explained they were fundraising for Forget-Me-Not Families, a pregnancy loss support group based in Worthing.

"I quite like big challenges," said Doug. "And to push myself to see what I can achieve. I just thought, what can I do in five days?"

With just 60 miles to go, Simon was confident they would go the distance: "After coming this far I'll be disgusted if we don't finish it off."

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Speaking of the charity, Bexhill Town Mayor Jimmy Carroll said: "We need people to show a bit more awareness of what these people do.

"I see little coffins sometimes going into the Mummery in Sidley, and what these people do is help the families left behind, all those who have lost someone.

"We should respect this work and thank these two guys very much."

For information about Forget-Me-Not Families, including how to pledge sponsorship, call 07838 116 277.

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