What do a driving instructor, a retired policeman, a plumber and a superstore manager have in common?

Dave Billington, Steve Scott, Neil Leaphard and Ian Saville all shared a great friend, Simon Vevers, who died suddenly in November 2008 after two strokes. He was only 54.

On Sunday 20 June the four men are joining together to ride two tandems in the 54-mile mile London to Brighton cyle ride.

They’ll be wearing pink tutus and matching accessories, bringing a new meaning to “a bicycle maid for tutu” Their aim is raise money in Simon’s memory for both the British Heart Foundation and Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre League of Friends.

That same day, friends, family and supporters will walk from Ditchling to Hurstpierpoint to celebrate Simon’s life, cheer on the riders and raise more funds through quizzing and other activities at a post-ride party in the Vinyard Lodge.

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Simon was married to Penny and loving father to Laura, then 21, and Jethro, then 17.

At his packed funeral, Dave, one of the four cyclists, said: “Si was everything a friend should be. He was kind. He was loving. He was loyal. Si had a knack of always being on your side when you needed him, without ever compromising his own integrity. His belief in people’s equality was not theoretical; he lived it in the way he treated everyone he came into contact with.

“I suppose that’s part of the reason why the word that I’ve heard used most to describe Si in the 12 years I’ve known him is lovely.”

Simon was rushed to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath on November 3 after suffering a stroke at home. He had had severe headaches the week before.

On November 5, he needed an operation to reduce swelling on the brain. Simon was wheeled across the hospital grounds to the Hurstwood Park neurological centre. It’s an old, cramped, 1960s, single-storey building – but full of highly professional, skilled, kind, dedicated staff, whose mission is to save lives.

Dave Billington and Steve Scott sat vigil with Penny and her children for many hours during the operation, after which Simon was placed in a deliberate coma.

They waited in the family room, right opposite the intensive care ward. It’s just a room – with a few scruffy sofas, a coffee machine, a toilet. Some of the sofas open out so that desperately worried family members can stay the night. It’s all paid for with donations to the centre’s League of Friends.

“I was virtually living in that room for the best part of two weeks,” says Penny. “Every day relatives and friends kept me and my children company. “One at a time, we were allowed into the intensive care unit to sit with Simon.

“I witnessed care, compassion and dedication from hard-pressed people who did everything in their power to try to save him. Everyone, from the brain surgeon who operated on Simon, to the intensive care nurses who worked around the clock, did everything they could.

“Even though Simon was unaware of what was going on around him, I joked that if he woke up he would think he was in heaven with so many lovely women (and one male nurse, too) catering to his every need.”

The waiting room was shared by relatives of other patients – one had keeled over, unaware she had a brain tumour; another had collapsed during a plane journey home from holiday. A woman had travelled from Romania to visit her daughter, operated on for an aneurism. Their stories, many with happy endings, unfolded in this small room.

Tragically, Simon had a second stroke and did not survive. “But I will never forget the support of the nurses who looked after him and who sat with me as his life ended. Simon died a peaceful death and they gave me time and space to say goodbye,” says Penny.

Steve adds: “We saw the care and the dedication given at Hurstwood Park. We felt it would be a tribute to Simon to raise awareness of its amazing work. Come and cheer us on and join the walk in Simon’s memory.”

Find out more about the British Heart Foundation at www.bhf.org.uk/ For more about Hurstwood park see www.hurstwoodparkleagueoffriends.org.uk/

Cash & Cheques raised will go to British Heart Foundation ((currently at £630 as of 21/06/10)) and donations on the "Donate Now" link on this page will go to the Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre League of Friends.

***The walk from Ditchling to Hurstpierpoint will probably leave Ditchling at about 2pm and the fun starts at the Vinyard Lodge at about 5.30pm with food, takeaway quiz, World Cup Raffle, music from members of the Brighton School of Singing and lots of other activities ! All Welcome.***

*********STOP PRESS LATEST NEWS STOP PRESS LATEST NEWS********* -

The four riders will be donning their pink tutus and mounting those tandems again on Saturday 3rd July 2010 when they lead the annual St Lawrence Fair procession around Hurstpierpoint village (only 1 mile this time !) They will also, still dressed in pink attire, take part in the arena finale at the Fair. So if you want to enjoy all the fun of the fair come on down to Hurstpierpoint St Lawrence Fair and cheer them on !

For more about the Hurstpierpoint St Lawrence Fair see http://www.stlawrencefair.org/

Answers to the Quiz -

Cryptic Music 1 Single Blokes. Bachelors 2 Girly colour with old TV chef. Pink Floyd 3 Sinless male siblings. Righteous Brothers 4 Yielding prison accommodation. Soft Cell 5 First man keeps trust. Adam Faith 6 Eastenders pub bends it like. Victoria Beckham 7 Audio speaking device with ancient meadow. Mike Oldfield 8 Quartet in a spin. Four Tops 9 Scottish pretty fits ceramics to bathroom. Bonnie Tyler 10 Lucky turkey bit with burnt wood. Wishbone Ash 11 First rate whistle-blower. Supergrass 12 Cinnamon maidens. Spice Girls 13 Barbaric flower bed. Savage Garden 14 Fermented pear juice with Italian lake. Perry Como 15 Engine in cranium. Motorhead 16 Robin’s woman is loyal. Marianne Faithful 17 Small Dickie. Little Richard 18 Chilly with the mob. Kool and the Gang 19 Oriental catastrophe. China Crisis 20 Blue cheap diner. Sad Café 21 Uncomplicated intellects. Simple Minds 22 With gusto. Verve 23 Invoice with a Y in a rage. Billy Fury 24 Hamlet humans. Village People 25 Arid season in the meadow. Dusty Springfield 26 Packed domicile. Crowded House 27 Bottomless maroon. Deep Purple 28 Heir to the throne. Prince 29 Game bird relatives. Partridge Family 30 Medic barb. Dr Hook 31 Hearts of nuclear reactors. The Corrs 32 Sneaky with the clan rock. Sly and the Family Stone 33 Overweight board game piece. Chubby Checker 34 Looking glass girl makes barrels. Alice Cooper 35 Granite flowers. Stone Roses 36 Cut glass storm. Crystal Gayle 37 So be it junction. Amen Corner 38 Unkempt one in Scoobie Doo. Shaggy 39 Changed picture. Altered Image 40 Lasses permitted. Girls Aloud 41 Demented pond resident. Crazy Frog 42 Two foot digits. Toto 43 Sweet Infants. Sugababes 44 Still the same. Status Quo 45 Tubby lad is slender. Fatboy Slim 46 Resound and the rabbit blokes. Echo and the Bunny Men 47 Winged songsters. Byrds 48 German Soldier with front runners. Gerry and the Pacemakers 49 Orange preserve. Marmalade 50 Shaver not heavy. Razorlight Car Manufacturers 1 You Should Be The One To Leave Yu,Go 2 Elevated, United Nations, Welsh Boy Hy,un,dai 3 Two 5's And An Adapted Loo Make This Car (V)ol(v)o 4 Greek Letter & Juliets Man Alfa Romeo 5 I Split The Fat F(i)at 6 Cowboys Greeting Audi 7 "S" Knocks Out District Attorney S,ko,da 8 Stimpy's Mate & German Stop Ren,ault 9 Take Zoo Opener To Court Su,zu,ki 10 Baps, Mr Rogers & Religion Rolls Roy,ce Connected With Egypt 1 Alter This Line To Get A Connection Nile 2 Renault Car Taps Sun God Cleo,pat,ra 3 Oxygen In The Firm Cairo 4 Part Time Mr. Dennis Temp,les 5 Sounds Like Heavy Vehicle Chaps Tu,tan,kha,men 6 What Corpses Read The book of the dead 7 Sounds Like Long Distance, Water Pipe Phar,aohs (far hose) 8 Sounds Like Gay Had No Boobs Queen Nefertiti 9 Man Makes The Tea He,brews 10 Sounds Like Erica Ate Mick Jagger Rose,etta stone The Castle 1 Retain This Part Of The Castle Keep 2 Wet Dust ??? Moat (mote is a particle of dust) 3 Collide With Certain Bits Ram,parts 4 Harbour, Animal Massacre, Snake sound Port Culli,is 5 Sketch A Pontoon Draw,bridge 6 Upper Limb, Eel Armoury (arm,moray) 7 Finished Mr Wayne ??? Dungeon (done John) 8 Pennant, Chap From Warsaw Flag,pole 9 Able To, Nothing Can,non 10 Red Meat Feasters Beefeaters The Noughties Example: 1966 EWWC = England win World Cup 2000 HSIJ Harold Shipman is jailed 2001 TTT The Twin Towers 2002 TQGJ The Queen's Golden Jubilee 2003 EWRWC (IA) England win Rugby World Cup (in Australia) 2004 GWEC Greece win European Championship 2005 POWMCP-B Prince of Wales marries Camilla Parker-Bowles 2006 SBIS Smoking Ban in Scotland 2007 MMcCIAIP Madeline McCann is abducted in Portugal 2008 RB&JRSCTAS Russell Brand & Jonathan Ross spoof call to Andrew Sachs 2009 WC Woolworths closes "Jackanory" Complete the following story by filling in the blanks, noting that there is a theme to the missing words and some answers are slightly contrived!!! THEME = MOUNTAINS One fine day Lord (7) SNOWDON was out for a long walk in the country with his friends Ben (5) NEVIS and Gabby (5) LOGAN . After several hours up hill and down dale, his companions complained that they were getting (5) TEIDE or WEARY, "Don't you (7) EVEREST ?" So they sat down and the Peer took a few snaps with his top of the range (7) OLYMPUS camera. As he did he commented that he had only managed to get (4) FUJI film in the village shop instead of his favourite (6) KODIAK . Then he took out his (4,5) MONT BLANC pen and mapped out the quickest route back to his mansion where he promised to (5) COOK them something nice. Ben with a slight stammer said, " That's gggrreat! I'm sssoo hhunngry I could eat (6) ARARAT !"

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