Retired Grantham woman well on way to cycling 2,020 miles in 2020
A retired woman from Grantham has nearly reached her target of cycling 2,020 miles in 2020, and it’s not even August.
Jane Handsley, of the Manthorpe estate, has used the freedom of retirement and the increased spare time due to lockdown to smash her target.
Formerly a project accountant at the University of Nottingham, Jane has cycled 1,834 miles so far, with her aim of 2,020 miles well in her sights.
The 60-year-old has ridden most of her miles with the company of her husband, Roy Beadle.
As well as covering staggering distances on a bike, Jane has also been contributing to meeting the increased demand for PPE since the outbreak of Covid-19. She has used mostly old bedding to create the scrubs, which come in a range of coloured patterns.
She has done this with the help of Facebook groups such as, For the love of scrubs Lincolnshire, Grantham Scrubs and Grantham Healthcare Workers - Bags for Scrubs/Uniform.
She is also a member of a Grantham Slimming World group. Her mentor, Joolie Cunningham, was full of praise.
She said: “Jane Handsley is a target member of 10 months and, my goodness, her health is through the roof, too.
“She has spent lockdown making scrubs for the NHS tirelessly, 12 hours a day, and when she breaks, she set a goal of riding Lands End to John O’Groats, which she completed with total pride and achievement.”
We asked Jane to tell us more about her challenge.
What made you want to ride 2,020 miles in 2020?
I was fairly active when I worked, my other hobby was ice skating. I felt unhealthy and not as fit as I was. When I retired I had a couple of health issues. I thought, I really don’t want to go into retirement unhealthy and one thing that I can control is what I eat.
It was a personal challenge for me. Last year, I did 1,600 miles but I wanted to do more this year.
April was brilliant, there was no traffic on the roads and I was exercising pretty much every day.
I did 505 miles in April alone.
As of Monday I’ve completed 1,834 miles. I’m aiming to reach 2,020 before my next Slimming World weigh-in on August 10, I’ve just got to keep chipping away at it.
What are your other hobbies?
I ice skate at the rink in Sutton in Ashfield. I came into it in my 50s, which is quite late but my instructor is fantastic, she mainly teaches an older crowd.
I haven’t been able to go because of lockdown and because I do dance skating, I’m unsure when that will be able to resume, as my instructor is also my dance partner.
How did you get into cycling?
We used to live in Hucknall when I worked at the university. We cycled with the U3A club there.
My husband and I started the U3A club here when we moved to Grantham. We now cycle once a week with Grantham U3A and once with Hucknall U3A.
What made you want to help by making scrubs?
Basically, I thought I didn’t want to take any PPE from key workers, so I made my own.
I’m retired, sat at home doing nothing and wanted to do something beneficial during the pandemic.
I’ve made 25 sets of scrubs altogether for the Vale surgeries.
What are the scrubs made from?
Donations of old bedding, mostly from a plea I put out on the Nextdoor Manthorpe app and the rainbow ones were from the Noah and Chris Evans [Virgin’s DJ] appeal, who supplied the scrubs groups with material.
