'Webber Shed' will provide balance bikes so children can learn to cycle

Monday 01 November 2021

Only Fools and Donkeys and Cazenove Guernsey have raised £6,300 through Peter’s There and Back - the bike ride in memory of the late Help a Guernsey Child Chairman, Peter Webber, who died in December 2020.

The funds raised from the ride will go towards The Webber Shed, which will help young people to learn how to ride a bike.

Matt Collas from Only Fools and Donkeys said: “It is very fitting and means a lot that the ride is able to contribute to helping young people and their families learn to cycle in a safe environment. 

“The new bike shed in Peter’s memory provides a lasting legacy for future generations of budding young cyclists.”

The Webber Shed will be located at Delancey Park, as Mr Webber was “smitten with the feeling of love and inclusivity” when he first entered the Bright Beginnings Centre at the former St Sampson’s School.

Pictured: Peter's There and Back raised nearly £6,300.

Not long after this visit, an outdoor reading area was developed at Bright Beginnings. The charity approached Bright Beginnings to discuss the idea of The Webber Shed as something that Mr Webber would love.

The shed will contain 20 balance bikes and two adult bikes, along with safety kit: all ready and waiting for the shed itself to arrive.

“Mr Webber was passionate that all children should have the same opportunities and have some happiness in their lives, irrespective of their financial circumstances or what was going on around them,” explained Alex Jenner from Help A Guernsey Child. 

“Peter’s other passion cycling, a more recent pastime that he had taken to and enjoyed immensely, one which his son, Oscar, seems to have inherited. What better way to remember Peter and all that he stood for than to combine three of the things he loved in life – family, children and bikes.”

The donations from Peter’s There and Back ride allows HAGC to cover the costs for maintaining the building and equipment for The Webber Shed for the next two years.

"The bike shed in Peters's memory is a perfect tribute to a very kind and generous man," said Aileen Fahy from Cazenove Capital, co-organisers of the ride and one of Mr Webber’s former employers.

"Cazenove Capital us hugely proud to have been able to assist the community on his behalf.”

Ms Jenner added: “Peter would have been humbled, honoured and simply over the moon by the generosity of every single person who has helped, in any way, and we hope he is looking down on us with a big smile on his face.”

Pictured top: Aileen Fahy from Cazenove Capital, Matt Collas from Only Fools and Donkeys and Clare Carre from Help a Guernsey Child (Credit: Stacey Upson).