Sir Jimmy raised the funds for a new spinal unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Dad was a long term tetraplegic patient having broken his back in a cycle race aged 55, Mum was forever by his side, Princess Di was there with Prince Charles to officially open the new unit, and of course the TV cameras were there too.
Sir Jimmy had competed in the round Britain bike race years before (as well as being a wrestler in his youth and a charity fundraising marathon runner) and spent lots of time at Dad's bedside talking about cycling. He always made us welcome whenever we saw him even though he had the ego the size of the Universe and wore the most ridiculous things. He even used to drive Mum back to the relatives sleeping block in his Rolls Royce (he had a penthouse there himself I heard!).
All this makes the 200 odd quid I raised cycling to Brighton last year seem a bit like loose change really. Must go for it properly next year. I might even do it on the racer that Dad built for me as a 14 year old kid.
