How Lancashire soldiers came to the rescue of a fearful charity fundraiser with nowhere to sleep

Intrepid cyclist Lis van Lynden, who is cycling solo around Great Britain to raise money for the MS Trust, found herself alone and panicking recently, after being spurned from her scheduled campsite by “rude and unkind campers”.

Lis, 49, who lives with multiple sclerosis, had reached Blackpool on her solo expedition when she was left without a place to stay and a punctured tyre.

>>>Donate to Lis’s cause here

Feeling fearful of where she would sleep as night fell, the Queens Lancashire Regiment veterans came to the rescue.

The old regiment members were camping nearby and offered her not only a safe place to pitch her tent, but also food, drink and the chance to join their party.

The kindness didn’t end there, the following morning breakfast was served, and the Regiment set about repairing Lis’ bike puncture.

“You have been adopted as part of our regimental family now, stay safe and feel free to give us a call if you need help, total respect for the journey you are on” said Keith Marsden.

“It was an honour to have met you and a pleasure to help you out. If you need help, call and we’ll do what we can. All the very best of luck on your epic journey, take care”, said Bill Gee.

>>>Learn more about the history of the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment here

Lis, who is from London, has already completed over 3,555 miles of her epic journey around the coast and is determined to keep going until she completes her mission.

The journey so far has been gruelling, Lis has negotiated a variety of multiple sclerosis symptoms whilst on route, including weakness on her right side, pins and needles and chronic headaches.

There have also been the added difficulties of falls, extreme heat and the pressures of finding places to stay on each stop along the route.

She said: "On the whole, support has been amazing along the way. People constantly stop me whilst I’m cycling or when I stop for a moment. They want to know everything about me.

"A lot have donated online or have provided cash donations which is wonderful, as I need to raise as much money as possible to make this venture worthwhile!”