Sixteen days, more than 700 miles, and a mixture of both tears and pride.
Emotions were running high for grandmother Alison Warner on Thursday (October 24) as she arrived back in Rushyford after a mammoth cycle from France to the County Durham village.
The 59-year-old took on the challenge earlier this month in memory of her daughter Karlene Warner and grandson Zackary Blades, who were killed by a speeding drink driver in May.
Alison, who set off on the cycle on October 8 and covered around 70 miles a day, wanted to raise funds for a dedicated room at Darlington Memorial Hospital, so families can have a quiet and private place to wash, eat, or nap as they deal with their loss.
Through storms and sun, Alison persevered, and has since gone on to raise more than £30,000 for the Haven Room, which would cost around £50,000.
Sadly, just days before she was due to finish, Alison broke her arm on the last 50 miles, near York, and Zackary’s father Jack Blades, 24, finished the cycle for her.
There have been tears, a lot of “ups and downs”, and a moment where she thought she couldn’t keep going - but Alison and Jack arrived to a crowd of friends and family outside the Eden Arms on Thursday to mark the end of the challenge.
“Karlene always liked to help people and it’s just for something in their name,” Alison told The Northern Echo on Thursday.
“Where we stayed in Newcastle, we had a room, and we were allowed to go and have something to eat in there and you could have a shower.
“Not every hospital has them. And if you have got someone in hospital who's terminally ill, like a child, they need that room. Obviously you don’t want to leave your child.
“It's going to be called Together Zachary and Karlene, because they were together.”
Alison’s husband Nigel, 66, couldn’t be prouder: “If it wasn’t for the fall on Sunday, she would have completed it.
“The second day in France she rode through a storm and was soaking. She was crying on the night, not sure if she could do it.
“But the next day she woke up and cycled 75 miles.
“I want to thank everyone who donated because if it wasn’t for them, then none of this would happen. Every little helps - and we are not going to stop until we get it.
“Together we can make a difference.”
The Coundon mum continued: “There were a lot of ups and downs, but when I got to the border, I was so emotional that I had done that side of it.
“Some people said just cycle and enjoy the scenery, but I was thinking about my daughter, it was always on my mind.
“We’ve got roughly £30,000 and we need £50,000. I have a house, and it's not worth a lot of money, and while I have lived in France I always kept the house because I always wanted to put a roof over my kids' heads. And fortunately I could do that.
“So I kept this house and they were supposed to pay rent (but I never got any!). I’m going to put it up for sale and donate 5% of that as well. It’s not worth a lot but 5% is worth quite a bit.”
‘We will never forget’
As previously reported, the tragic incident on May 31 took place when Shalorna Warner took her sleeping son Zackary with her to pick up her sister Karlene from Newcastle Airport.
Her vehicle was rammed by Darryl Anderson - and it was later revealed in court that he had been drink driving and was taking photos of himself while behind the wheel at than 140mph when his Audi slammed Shalorna's Peugeot.
The horrific incident caused Zackary to be thrown 164ft from the car, and almost every bone in Karlene's body had been broken, and she died instantly.
And it was Karlene and Zackary who have been on Alison’s mind throughout the cycle: “I was thinking about them and that's why I'm doing it.
“I wasn't doing it for enjoyment. I was doing it for a reason.
“Darryl Anderson, what he did, we will never forget. So why should he? So every year, we're going to do something.
“He gave us a death date for my daughter and for my grandson. So every year, we're gonna do something to celebrate their life.
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“He'll not be remembered for having his business, or his flashy cars, or his flashy holidays. He'll be remembered for what he did.”
The family have rallied together for a summer of fundraising, and tomorrow (October 25) will hold a party for Karlene’s 31st birthday with a pink carpet, disco, and three course meal.
The family also set up a petition in hopes of introducing a mandatory lifelong driving ban for deaths caused by dangerous driving, which has since amassed more than 77,000 signatures.
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