Dad goes the distance in memory of much-loved son

A father joined together with four friendsto complete the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride in memory of his son.
Phil Critchley, from Chorley, took part in the event to raise money for St Catherine’s after his son Michael, 33, lost his battle with bowel cancer just three days after he was admitted to the hospice.
Phil, along with pals Paul Wright, Mark Buckley, Dave Causey and Les Kenny, raised a huge total of £1091 for the hospice, which allows us to continue offering specialised palliativeand end of life care for people living with conditions which can be treated but not cured.

Phil said: “The staff at St Catherine’s were amazing, they just couldn’t do enough for us and the compassion that they showed indicated that nothing was too much trouble for them. I honestly can’t thank them enough.”
Phil added Michael, who previously worked as a prison officer at Garth Prison, fought such a brave battle against the disease.
“Michael was a fantastic lad; he was very polite and never complained once about his illness. He always kept very dignified,” Phil said.
“He fought cancer with great courage.”.
Michael’s wife Clare added how appreciative she was of the little things that hospice staff did to ensure she and Michael were so well looked after.
She said: “We used to have date nights here and they would allow us to have takeaways while one of the nurses serenaded us with his guitar.
“I was even allowed to move the beds closer together so that I could cuddle up to Michael, allowing us to have our moments together.”
Paul said thebike ridehad been a great success, adding: “It’s the first time we’ve all participated in the bike ride except for Dave who has now ridden for the second time.
“We thoroughly enjoyed the ride itself and it definitely won’t be the last one we do.”

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