Dalwood couple Sue and Steve Jones are raising funds for Bristol Children's Hospital in memory of their grandson, Jude, who lost his life last year.
The three-year-old boy — son of the couple’s daughter, Laura Jones, and her partner, Richard Chinn — was taken ill on the evening of June 3, 2020. He was sick for some of the night but in the morning had become unresponsive.
A paramedic arrived and Jude was rushed from their village, Pitminster, in the Blackdown Hills, to Musgrove Hospital, Taunton, where he was operated on for a twisted bowel.
Grandparents Sue and Steve rushed to the hospital from Dalwood to offer help and support.
Jude was put on life support and transferred to Bristol Children's Hospital with his parents, where the team worked tirelessly in an attempt to save his life. Jude lost his fight for life by lunchtime on June 5th.
Laura and Richard, having been more than impressed by the valiant efforts of the hospital staff and the compassion they had received in their time of grief, vowed to raise money for the hospital and other children and parents that have to go through this awful scenario.
They eventually came up with the idea of a Jogle — acronym for John O Groats to Lands End — but they didn’t want to make the ride easy.
Jude had just started riding his bike without stabilisers and a bike ride seemed to fit their goal of raising money.
Laura’s statement on the jogleforjude.co.uk webiste describes their time at the Bristol hospital: “A team from Bristol Children’s Hospital were ready and waiting for Jude to come out of surgery and rushed him up to their intensive care unit where he spent the next 24 hours, fighting for his life. Our world was tipped upside down as he sadly slipped away from us just 24 hours later. Leaving behind his two loving brothers, ourselves and countless friends and family who loved him dearly.
“Our time at Bristol Children’s Hospital was, in comparison to others’, a very short one. However, in that short time, we were blown away by the care and compassion both Jude and ourselves received and we had complete admiration for every single member of staff.”
The cycle challenge will take place on June 26th over nine days — an average of 100 miles a day.
A number of friends and family immediately agreed to take part in the ride and have been in training for months.
Laura and Richard’s elder six-year-old son, Tobias, will be cycling the last 10 miles or so into Lands End.
Grandad Steve will be driving the support vehicle the whole route whilst his wife, Sue, will be at home looking after Jude's brothers, Tobias and Joey, 19 months, in Dalwood.
Sue and Steve really admire their daughter and her partner for their efforts in this endeavour during this very difficult time for them and are amazed that their jogleforjude.co.uk appeal has already raised over £58,000. They give thanks to the Dalwood community for any support.