A 60-YEAR-OLD woman has cycled more than 1,000 miles to Sweden to raise money for a local charity.

Lisbeth Le Brocq completed the journey in 17 days in memory of her best friend, who recently died from cancer.
‘I decided in February that I wanted to raise some money for Jersey Hospice to say thank you for taking such good care of a special friend,’ she said.

Her friends and family sponsored her and Mrs Le Brocq raised a total of £1,634. ‘I am so thankful to everyone who supported me. I was overwhelmed by how generous everyone was, and I’m so pleased that I’ve been able to do this for the Hospice,’ she said.

Lisbeth, who lives in St Brelade, began her journey on 11 May, arriving in her birthplace of Gothenburg, Sweden, on 27 May. Despite having little previous cycling experience, she completed the journey with few problems after training for an hour each day before she left the Island. She cycled through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden.

She used maps and the help of local people to find her way after deciding that more hi-tech methods didn’t work for her. ‘Satnavs definitely aren’t made for bikes, and it kept getting me lost, so I stuck to good old-fashioned maps,’ she said.

One of her biggest worries was finding somewhere to sleep. ‘In southern Belgium I kept getting lost, and one night I was still trying to find a hotel at half past ten at night.’

Lisbeth stayed in some unusual places, including a Swedish convent in Holland and a German hotel which reminded her of Fawlty Towers. At first she was daunted by the long distance she was going to cover, but she finished much sooner than she expected. She said: ‘I had planned to do it in a month. Some friends were going to surprise me in Gothenburg with a welcome party, but I was too quick for them!’

She was met in Gothenburg by husband Martyn and children Marcus and Charlotta. She hopes that other Islanders will also raise money for the Hospice to help it continue its valuable work. ‘I’m not a cyclist normally, and when I first told people they all thought I was having a laugh. It just goes to show you – if I can do it, anyone can!’