Former Burnley College student, champion fund raiser and blood donor (21) ready to cycle 127 miles in two days for cause close to his heart

Andrew Trickett will saddle up this Thursday for the bike ride along the Leeds Liverpool Canal and he has set himself a goal of £1,000 to pay for equipment, including musical instruments and 'dress up' costumes to help support young people at Pendleside Hospice.

Still only 21, Andrew, a former Burnley College student who works as a supervisor and customer advisor at B and Q in Nelson, has recently returned from Buckingham Palace where he, and 10 other students from Burnley College, were among the first to receive their Duke of Edinburgh gold awards in person since the start of the pandemic.

Last year Andrew completed a 30 mile bike ride for Pendleside Hospice which raised over £1,700 for the hospice.

The mission was to cycle from North Pier to South Pier in Blackpool 11 times, but, as the day progressed and donations rolled in Andrew decided to do more laps.

Between each checkpoint he was met by friends and family who cheered him on before he was rewarded with a chippy dinner at the finish line.

Supporters, including Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson, donated to the cause and a generous donation of £1,000 came from the GMB Trade Union in honour of Andrew's grandmother, Edna Fallows who died at the hospice in 2010.

An active member of the GMB Union for many years Edna was passionate about equality, anti-racism and gay rights.

Andrew has taken on his grandmother's mantle in wanting to help others as much as possible. Until ill health put a stop to it, Andrew's dad was also a regular fundraiser carrying out numerous sponsored walks and charity event to raise thousands of pounds.

Andrew single handedly raise £7,000 for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal as a Lancashire Army Cadet between 2016 and 2018. He was awarded the best cadet out of all three services and promoted to Cadet Colour Sergeant.

After being accepted into Burnley College Andrew went on to pass his Extended Diploma Level Three in Uniformed Public Services, achieving the highest grades possible, triple starred distinctions.

An active blood donor, Andrew is also on a mission to register as many young people as possible to sign up.