Good things come in threes
When considering the greatest trilogies any list would have to include the Ali v Frasier fights, the classic British Lions rugby series and the Lord of the Rings books. Well now Liam Turner’s fundraising trilogy can be added to that list as further proof that good things come in threes.
A therapy dog handler with Caremark Redcar and Cleveland, Liam has pushed his body to the limit to complete his triple challenge, spread over three years involving 24-hour cycling, wheelchair propulsion and walking which has raised thousands of pounds for three worthwhile causes.
“As I approached my 60th birthday I thought it would be a good idea to combine keeping fit with raising some money for good causes,” said Liam.
The challenge began three years ago when Liam was working at James Cook Hospital and decided to see how far he could cycle in 24 hours. He managed 150 miles around a Cleveland Coast circular route and raised over £1,500 for Macmillan nurses.
The final part of his challenge
Last year Liam began working as a therapy dog handler with Caremark and as a nod to the efforts of some of the customers he takes the dogs to visit he decided to see how far he could propel a wheelchair in 24 hours.
Thanks to strong arms, honed by a lifetime playing rugby, he managed an impressive 40 miles and again raised over £1,000 donated to Safe Place – a regular social event at Redcar Football Club aimed at combatting social isolation.
This year, for the final part of his challenge, Liam decided to see how far he could walk in 24 hours and managed 40 miles. The £1,500 raised went to Leukaemia UK in memory of Geoff Waterfield a good friend of Liam’s who died from the condition 15 years ago.
With his big birthday looming in August, Liam decided to push on and kept walking for a further 15 hours to complete 60 miles.
Liam now has his own therapy dog
“The walking was the toughest of the challenges because in the other two you had a chance to freewheel a bit,” said Liam, who marked his 50th birthday with a fundraising Newcastle to London cycle ride. “I’m delighted to have completed the 60 challenge, now I’m going to have a rest but I might see what I’m able to do if I’m still around at 70.”
Liam said when he first joined Caremark he saw it as a retirement job but now he’s happy to work over 30 hours a week as a therapy dog handler.
“It’s wonderful to see how people’s faces light up when you bring a dog into the room they can stroke and talk to,” he said. “It might be an 11-year-old, with autism or an older person who has had dogs in the past but is now unable to keep them.”
And his role has inspired Liam to own his first ever dog – Mabel, a fox red Labrador who is now a fully trained therapy dog.
“It’s great because Mabel loves to meet people. She gets plenty of exercise whilst I get to take my dog to work every day,” said Liam.
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