Dementia is one of the cruellest diseases, progressively removing the familiar person that you knew and loved until there is little left, often long before their actual physical death. The emotional and practical support offered by charities like the Alzheimer’s Society can be invaluable to those involved in caring for a relative during their illness.
When Henry Smith’s mother died, it spurred him into thinking about raising funds for the Alzheimer’s Society and was one of the catalysts for an ambitious plan that he developed together with his partner, Alison Bowen.
The other – ‘much more cheerful’ – catalyst was the couple’s shared interest in scooters, those reminders of the era of fishtail parkas, button-down shirt collars and the unforgettable film Quadrophenia.
“Although Henry and I have only been together for about eight years and I’m originally from Stoke-on-Trent and he’s from Sussex, we have very similar backgrounds,” explains Alison. “We are roughly the same age and had the same influences growing up and we both got into the whole mod revival thing in the 1980s. Quite independently, we both developed a passion for riding scooters. Henry bought his first Lambretta exactly 40 years ago. This anniversary and the sad passing of Henry’s mum was why we decided we were going to do this epic sponsored ride around the country and raise awareness and money for Alzheimer’s.”
An epic journey
And what an epic ride it’ll certainly be: going from Brighton to the Isle of Wight, “but taking the long way round” as Alison puts it. The tour involves a journey of over two thousand miles, visiting 28 towns along the route, the furthest north being Fort William in Scotland.
Intrigued by what I had heard of their plans, I’ve come to visit the couple at their Framfield home to learn more. I gain a fascinating insight into the mod revival movement and scooter culture from Alison.
“In the late 1970s, punk was the thing and then along came this snappily dressed hark back to the 1960s and all of a sudden mods were reborn,” she explains. “But it evolved from the original movement. You get fed up with your scooter breaking down or getting soaked in bad weather – because in no way is a parka waterproof. And so the ‘scooter boy and girl’ were born, and clothing ceased to be as important. It was all about riding the scooter and it didn’t matter whether you were a punk or into ska or soul or whatever. It was the scooter that pulled everyone together.”
Scooter clubs had been in existence for some time, but in 1981 the first nationally organised rallies took place, and over the course of the following eight years the national rallies visited 28 towns, some more than once. “But some,” says Alison meaningfully, “only once”. I get the impression that that’s because they would not have been welcomed back, but don’t enquire further.
She and Henry decided to base their fundraising project on the magic number of 28 (the number of towns that the national rallies visited), and after submitting their proposal to the Alzheimer’s Society they started on the process of detailed planning.
The tour takes a dedicated team
They are setting off from Brighton on 14 August and have designed their route around a target of 250 miles a day. I say that seems ambitious to me, on a scooter, with no weather protection and a small engine. Alison agrees that it will be a challenge, but they are determined to achieve it.
“Henry’s scooter is a 1967 Lambretta SX with a 200cc engine and mine is older – a 1961 Lambretta Series 2,” she says. “But we will have two support vans with us and all the spares and supplies that we need. Henry is adamant that he is going to ride 100% of the route and any repairs will be done at the side of the road. We have two others in the team, Dave and Alex from Weymouth, who will have their scooters in the second van. The three of us will switch our riding and driving so that we can get a break.”
They will be fundraising at every stop, and fans can track their progress online based on a tracking app that Henry will have on his phone. They will be met along the way by groups from local scooter clubs, who are already organising overnight stops and reception committees. “The scooter community is amazing,” says Alison, “they are so generous and helpful.”
One of the things that has most impressed her is the support of friends who have all contributed their time for free, ranging from a graphic designer who created the logo for their trip to the fellow-scooterists and printers who have produced stickers, banners and hi-viz jackets for the scooter riders and the support crew.
The trip ends at the Isle of Wight on 23 August – “the biggest scooter rally in the world” – and the pair will be reporting back on their adventures in a future article.
“We eat, sleep and breathe this stuff,” says Alison. “Each time that I share our plans I’m sad because of the loss of Henry’s lovely mum, but I’m also really excited. I think that this is going to be one of the most amazing summers that I’ve had in a long time.”
It surely must be one of the most amazing fundraising projects ever on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Society!
Postscript: the fundraising details
Alison and Henry are aiming to raise £5,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society, and are already over half-way there, months before they set off.
In addition to the tour itself they are also raising funds through an online auction ahead of their trip and have early offers of a free meal at the local pub, the Hare and Hounds; and sessions at East Sussex National Golf Club and Spa. Their front room is packed with donated artwork and a large barrel of motor oil! If you are interested in donating a service, artwork or unwanted gift, email Alison: alison_bowen@hotmail.com.
If you want to donate to the trip, the link to their Just Giving page is below. They have a website at www.beforeweforget.uk and have set up a Facebook page so that you can follow their progress. Details of the link to follow the route, their itinerary (including petrol stops) and the 28 towns they will be visiting will all be on their website and Facebook page (contact Alison to access). See donation page.
