Men dressed as grannies are racing to Blackpool on scooters to raise money for disabled schoolgirl

A group of men dressed in their best old biddie attire will be embarking on a gruelling scooter race from Preston FC to Blackpool Town Centre to raise funds for a disabled schoolgirl.

Scooter Grannies was born in 2016 when Darren Bailey, from Irlam, wanted to do something a bit different to help his daughter Freya, was born with two holes in her heart and has cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Freya, now eleven, undergoes regular physiotherapy for her conditions, none of which is not available on the NHS and costs the family around £1,000 per month.

After seeing his daughter struggle every day, Darren decided to gather his closest friends to come up with a solution to her pain.

Scooter Grannies

The fifty-year-old dad explained: “Originally I was thinking of some kind of event with us dressed as superheroes but my friend Olive, who is eighty, said: ‘Everyone does that, why not dress as grannies?’

“So I took myself to the charity shop, bought some outfits and Scooter Grannies was born.”

Over the years, Darren and his pals have scooted from Irlam to Blackpool, Irlam to Chester, Huddersfield to Irlam and Anfield to Old Trafford, all of which has raised funds for not only Freya’s physio, but also for life-changing SDR surgery on her spine.

Darren said: “As ever, I’m grateful to all my loyal mates who take part in Scooter Grannies every year, as well as the local businesses and individuals who donate money to help Freya.

“The funds raised continue to provide physiotherapy and essential equipment for Freya to make life as comfortable and pain free as possible.”

He went on to explain that, with Freya’s growing need for independence and changing requirements, he is constantly having to buy or upgrade equipment, having recently spent £3,000 on an off-road buggy.

He said: “She’s nearly twelve now and will be wanting more independence, so I’m keen to get her an electric wheelchair but that can be anything from £12,000 to £20,000.”

This will be the fifth Scooter Grannies event, with money being raised through Tree of Hope, an organisation that helps transform the lives of sick and disabled children.

You can donate to Freya’s fund here.