Emergency service siblings take on cycling challenge in memory of mum

Two brothers, one a firefighter and the other a paramedic, are embarking on a 165-mile cycling challenge after their mum sadly died last year.

39-year-old John Adams, an on call firefighter at Stornoway Community Fire Station, and 43-year-old Christopher Adams, a paramedic for the Scottish Ambulance Service also based in Stornoway, have decided to take on the challenge following the care their mum received towards the end of her life.

The 165-mile Butt to Barra cycle sets off on Wednesday, 9 July, and goes through nine islands, taking around two and a half days to complete.

67-year-old Greta Powell, who lived on the west side of Lewis, was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer in February 2024 and was transferred into Bethesda Hospice in August where she was given just weeks to live. Greta sadly died in December while at the hospice.

Now, John and Christopher want to give back to the hospice, which gave their mum a “home from home” for her final months.

John said: “For the three months that our mother was in Bethesda, it was a home – it’s literally a home, you know. They invited us to stay anytime we needed it.

“Luckily for us, it’s 100 yards from my house and my brother’s house.

“They were a family for my mother. Her home was about 25 miles away from the hospital, so realistically, she had to be here for people to be visiting her and for her to be able to get the correct care.”

£450,000 is required every year to support Bethesda Hospice, and the brothers are hoping to contribute to a portion of that. They have already raised over £6,000.

John continued: “For the organisation to be able to continue operating, it relies on idiots like us that want to go on a cycle from Butt to Barra.

“I’d kind of half-threatened to do it a number of years ago. At the turn of the year though, I spoke with my brother one day and I said that this is the right year to do it.”

John said the first hurdle he came across was that he didn’t own a bike, but that was quickly solved by his fire service colleagues.

John said: “I phoned up one of my former bosses who is a keen cyclist.

“He's a Watch Commander at one of the stations and I asked for some advice on which bike to buy.

 “He immediately said ‘just have my bike’. So for the first four weeks, I was using his bike, and then obviously I bought my own.”

The nine-island experience will take 2-3 days due to the requirement of ferries to cross islands. The brothers expect they will be able to cover around 60-70 miles per day in the difficult island conditions.

John says while they are both nervous and excited for the challenge, their reason for fundraising will get them to the finish line.

He continued: “My mum was always proud of us both working for the emergency services.

“We’ve both been part of fundraisers for different things over the years, so I think she’d be proud that we’re doing it for something that helped her.

“I’m keen for the craic on the way because there will be a handful of people that knew our mother but naturally there will be difficult conversations. That’ll probably be one of the hardest parts of it all.”

You can donate to John and Christopher’s Just Giving page to support them on their way.