Window Cleaner Recovers From Horror Crash

Chris Stoneman, 62, is planning to ride 1,000miles in aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Leeds window cleaner recovers from horror crash to take on 1,000mile charity ride: A Leeds window cleaner who broke his neck in a horrific road accident has pledged to raise funds for the charity that came to his aid. Chris Stoneman, from Woodhouse, became the 2,000th person to be rescued by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) when the rapid response charity was called out to help him after he smashed into a wall on his motorbike in 2007.

The 62-year-old had driven over a patch of diesel, which his bike slipped on, sending him careering into a wall on a road near Settle, North Yorkshire. After a slow and painful five-month recovery, Chris has swapped his biking leathers for a cycle helmet and will ride 1,000miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats over just 10 days in July.

The father-of-two said: “I know it’s going to be really tough cycling 100 miles a day, but we are training hard and I just wanted to do something that would raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. “It’s a fantastic charity that provides a lifesaving service. Living where we do there are a lot of people who enjoy the countryside by biking, cycling, climbing, going horse riding and walking and you never know when you might need that helicopter.”

Chris is hoping to raise more than £1,000 for the YAA, which needs to raise £9,990 every day to keep its two helicopters in the air. Now in the midst of an intense training regime, he has given up his love of motorcycling for good and joined Airedale Olympic Cycling Club. He added: “The thing I missed most about biking was the adrenaline rush, but cycling really gives you an incredible buzz and is such a brilliant thing to do.”

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/Chris-Stoneman3