Biker to ride to all South Yorkshire football stadiums in challenge for ill daughter

Dan Windle is getting ready to drop in at Sheffield United, Barnsley, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Doncaster Rovers’ grounds next week as he gets into the saddle for the challenge, which is part of a wider push in aid of Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

His two-year-old daughter Cora-Joan has spent months in the hospital after being diagnosed with arthritis, which sees her own body attacking her joints – including her eyes – and with reduced mobility.

To say thank you, he is riding the equivalent distance of Land’s End to John O’Groats before Cora-Joan’s third birthday on July 19.

Dan, who lives in Cudworth, wants to raise at least £1,084 – £1 for every mile and said: "The last year has been so hard, watching my little girl’s mobility deteriorate.

"The endless worrying about her losing her mobility or her vision has been not only been hard to see, it has been incredibly hard to accept.

"She has already had three trips into theatre and started her journey of medicines. This journey is new, it is the first step of the rest of her life but it is also helping her do the things all children her age should be able to do.”

"Covid obviously means that the actual journey is not feasible so I will be aiming to complete the equivalent miles by cycling weekly to complete the ‘Length of the UK’ virtual challenge.

"To keep myself sane and motivated, I have set a mini challenge to coincide with this and that is to cycle from my house in Barnsley to all five of South Yorkshire’s football stadiums.

“I now live, and started my family, in Barnsley. I grew up in Doncaster and lived there until I was 21, all my family still live in Doncaster. I worked for 15 years in Rotherham and Sheffield and my daughter's treatment is in Sheffield. I have fond memories of local football growing up and thought that it would be a great way to keep me on track for achieve my total miles.”He is aiming to visit the five in five days.

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