THE Morning Star Pedal4Progress annual fundraising marathons are always remarkable. The 10th marathon — the 10th “edition” — was no different.

The trans-Pennine trek from Liverpool to Hull via Manchester, Sheffield and Selby came to triumphant end with an overwhelming and moving reception and rally in Hull on Friday night at the city’s memorial to volunteers who joined the International Brigades and fought in the Spanish civil war 1936-38.

Les Doherty is P4P’s co-ordinator. He said: “We wanted the 10th edition to be a celebration of P4P’s achievements over the 10 years since we started, and we’re over the moon about how it all went.”

There were 14 riders in the cycling team, and six people in the logistics team, which provided essential support including food, water and first aid.

Doherty said: “There were new people who joined the ride for the first time and at times they were out of their comfort zone — it was a very technical route. 

“It was OK for me and the expert riders but for them to achieve it over four days was phenomenal. There was Bernie [Keaveney] and Hazel [Roberts] and to have Maxine [Peake] as Morning Star ambassador with us was a delight.

“We had Cad [Jones, vice-chair of the People’s Press Printing Society] in the logistics van.

“Then there was the support we had from the Morning Star. The Morning Star was with us from the start.

“The initial send-off from Liverpool was brilliant. When you commit yourself to doing something and so many people turn up you know there’s no way out of it!”

The second leg of the marathon was Manchester to Sheffield, and Wednesday night was spent at Wortley Hall, the workers’ stately home outside the city.

“Sheffield was fabulous, staying at Wortley Hall,” said Doherty. The Victorian house was built by the Wentworth family out of the labour and sacrifices of coalminers. The family went into decline and left the hall.

In the early 1950s the disused, deserted and crumbling building was taken over by South Yorkshire trade unionists who restored it. 

They eventually raised enough money to buy the building. Today it is owned by unions, branches and hundreds of individual shareholders. It is run as a co-operative and is a unique resource for the labour and trade union movement.

After Wortley Hall the riders cycled to Selby, and then to Hull where the marathon ended at the International Brigades memorial.

The reception was organised by Hull and District Trade Union Council (TUC), and included a stirring performance by socialist Joe Solo and warm speeches of welcome from Hull’s labour and trade union movement. 

Descendants of the fighters in Spain were among those who welcomed the cyclists — and remarkable stories emerged as the cyclists and support team socialised with Hull trade unionists and activists.

And as visitors and Hull activists met and talked, stories emerged from the volunteers’ descendants which added to the pride of the occasion.

Bernard Wilson, who is 80, said his father was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain and was a shipyard worker in Hessle near Hull, and volunteered after “borrowing” a relative’s identity papers because he was only 17 and too young to enlist.

He told how he was still learning about his father’s experiences in Spain — partly through the recent discovery of an anti-fascist poster drawn and signed by his father more than 80 years ago.

“He was 17 when he signed up. He was away a couple of years and was in northern Spain. He was wounded. It was bad enough for him to have to go home,” he said.

Gary Hammond, a member of Hull TUC and the Musicians’ Union, said: “I think he was in Calicetti, a hospital there. We’re not exactly sure.

“I was sent a poster from Barcelona by a tour guide who does tours of Spanish civil war sites.”

Trades Council secretary Joe Gibbons said: “It was an anti-fascist poster, signed Bert Wilson at the bottom.”

The poster depicted an arm and a fist clenching a hammer which is smashing a swastika.

Bert Wilson’s name enabled the tour guide to track down descendants through the Trade Union Council, and Bernard and Gary are now in touch with new sources. Bert died aged 54 from cancer.

James Bentley was another Hull volunteer. For four generations the eldest son of the family has been called James — son, grandson, great-grandson and great-great grandson.

The original James was killed in Spain. His son died, but the three succeeding generations, all called James, were present to welcome the cyclists at the International Brigades memorial. 

They are grandson James, 60, great-grandson James, 41, and great-great grandson James, 5.

The descendants and trade unionists spoke with pride of Hull’s anti-fascist history: how in the 1930s fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley came to Hull to speak.

Gary Hammond said: “He tried to hire a cinema, he tried to get the town hall, but was rebuffed. He decided to have his meeting in the open on Corporation Fields. 

“Ten thousand Hull dockers turned up. Mosley said he had never been confronted by such an angry mob. Mosley and his crew were absolutely battered, which everyone in Hull is still very proud of.”

When Mosley finally got out of Hull he is said to have found a bullet hole in his car. Such were the stories told to the P4P cyclists.

The Hull monument is itself an achievement of Hull trade unionists and the volunteers’ descendants. The campaign for the monument began with a motion from Hull branch of public-sector Unison, whose offices overlook the monument outside the city’s Guild Hall.

Donations to the P4P appeal are still several hundred pounds short of the £10,000 target, and the team have made an appeal for a last-minute sprint in the cash-flow to make sure it is reached.

Cad Jones, who was on the logistics team supporting the riders, is dealing with donations as they come in.

“There was one from a man who sent £1,000 with a message saying: “I used to live in Hull but am now housebound so never got to see the Spanish civil war memorial where you will finish your ride,” she said.

She also said: “Our collective logistics team — Vicky, Jeanette , Kevan, Derek, Bob and me — were more than proud to accompany the riders.

“We transported belongings, welcomed cyclists at each pit-stop with a cup of tea and a snack, provided first-aid and encouragement when necessary and generally enjoyed the company and camaraderie of the team.

“Plus we met such fantastic supporters along the way. Only the Morning Star could generate such enthusiasm and solidarity.”

The team are already planning next year’s 11th edition marathon which will be overseas — the marathons alternate annually between domestic and international efforts.

Doherty said: “We now have a permanent committee of P4P members and supporters planning what we do and how we do it.

“Most coast-to-coast runs end at the sea. This year we finished at the memorial because next year we are going to do an International Brigades ride that finishes in Barcelona. 

“We are going to contact the International Brigades Memorial Trust and others to collaborate and pull it together, but we do know we will be finishing in Barcelona. We are looking at possibly Madrid to Barcelona — 650 kilometres.

“It will be a stiff one in the heat and everything else.”

To support the cycling challenge please donate by bank transfer to: Merseyside Morning Star sort code 60-83-01 account number 20428060. Please reference your donation P4P10. Contact [email protected] for information.

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