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MAD HATTER? Sir Peter Leitch with Heart Rate 180 cycle race organiser Nicola Pointon.
SIR PETER LEITCH, known to many as the Mad Butcher, has joined Nicola Pointon to help her raise money for children with heart disease.
Nicola was thrilled to receive a phone call from Sir Peter himself offering his help, after she emailed explaining about the cycle race she is organising, Heart Rate 180, starting November 13.
“He doesn’t usually reply personally but he had seen my story about Jakey,” says Nicola, of Titahi Bay. Her son, Jacob Pointon, died in 2008 at the age of 19 after having treatment in Auckland Hospital for the rare heart condition known as Ebstein’s anomaly.
Sir Peter Leitch told NewsWire: “I receive 40 to 50 requests a week and I can only say yes to one.
“It was a good cause and I wanted to help out.”
He wasn’t able to give her money as he had already given away as much as he could this year. Instead he gave Nicola prizes for “Mad Hat and Tie Days” taking place in businesses and schools from November 13 to 24 during Heart Rate 180.
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RACING HEART: The late Jacob Pointon, who had the heart condition Ebstein's anomaly.
The name Heart Rate 180 refers to the speed Jacob’s heart would race at, at rest.
The race will see a team of cyclists bike from Bluff to Cape Reinga to raise awareness and funds for Heart Children New Zealand.
Nicola hopes to have collectors helping at each town the ride passes through.
But gathering collectors is proving harder then everything else.
She wants to hear from people in Dunedin, Hamilton and Auckland who are willing to take part.
“We’re trying to get collectors now, along State Highway 1. We’ll be in Dunedin this Saturday, Hamilton next Saturday [November 20] and in Queen St, Auckland on the 22nd,” says Nicola.
“All we want is one to two hours of their time. If they can give us 40 minutes, I’ll be happy. One hour would be awesome – two hours? Whoopee.”
