A WOMAN who had never ridden a bicycle in her life celebrated her 88th birthday in style with a ride around town in a motorbike sidecar, raising hundreds of pounds for St Rocco’s Hospice.

Fearnhead resident Jean Wallwork has received palliative care from the Lockton Lane hospice once a week since August, and had never even ridden a pedal bike before a sponsored ride in a motorbike sidecar on the date of her 88th birthday.

Jean, who lives in Arran Close, raised a grand total of £435 for St Rocco’s from the sidecar ride.

She said: “We were talking one day about nostalgia and I mentioned that I’d never even been on a normal bike in my life and one thing led to another and I said I’d like a go in a sidecar.

“I never thought anything more about it but then the next thing I knew they’d arranged for me to do it – I was a bit frightened but I said to them they would have to sponsor me to do it.

“They’d arranged it for my 88th birthday and it was wonderful – people were waving at me from the bus and they were probably thinking ‘what’s that crazy woman doing?’.”

Jean, a regular member of the congregation at the Church of the Resurrection and St Bridget’s in Cinnamon Brow, says that she isn’t planning any more daredevil stunts but said St Rocco’s was a ‘wonderful place’.

She added: “St Rocco’s need all the money they can get because it’s the most wonderful place – they really look after me and the volunteers that do what they do for nothing are fantastic.

“I won’t be doing anything like that again though.”