Man dressed as chicken raises £10,000 for hospital that supported partner

When his partner needed treatment for cancer, Steve Debben was concerned to leave her in an unfamiliar space, with people they didn’t know, when she was at her most vulnerable. But when he dropped Jodie off at the Nick Jonas ward at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, any fears were elevated within seconds.

The Phantom Bantam on his journey

After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April last year, within week, Jodie Reid was undergoing treatment. Treatment that began on her 49th birthday. As the pair made their way to the chair she’d sit in for the next few hours while chemotherapy was delivered, they found a little cake sitting next to her seat.

“All the nurses came over,” Jodie remembers. “They started singing Happy Birthday to me and it was so touching. Just that little detail meant everything to me and from that moment, Steve knew I was in good hands and would be well looked after.”

As he left her in the care of the team, Steve walked away knowing he had to do something to repay them for their kind care and support.

He remembers, “From day one the staff were friendly and nothing was too much trouble. It sounds cliché but they really were amazing. They’re doing something really special and I felt like I wasn’t able to do anything to help. I went away knowing I wanted to address the imbalance I was feeling.”

It was in the corridor, waiting for another appointment, that his fundraising idea came together. For work, and as a hobby, Steve repairs and restores motorbikes. While the pair waited to be seen, they were staring at a map of the UK when they spotted a place called Burmouth, just over the Scottish border.

“It was there that the idea was born”, recalls Steve. “Jodie and I had our first date in Bournemouth so we thought it would be a fun idea to take an old bike of mine up to Burnmouth and ride to Bournemouth and see if I could raise money to support the ward that had cared for us both so well.”

And so the planning started. Steve mapped out the 501 mile route, planned the journey to take part in the winter months, and began restoring his Bantam bike ready for the challenge.

An emotional end to the 500 mile ride

“When people started hearing about my plans, they really wanted to help. As I began planning the journey, I worked out that, with a top speed of around 50mph, we could achieve the distance in four days. I therefore moved the dates to coincide with the long Easter weekend so no one had to take holiday from work to come along.

“And then I got thinking about how we could really make it stand out. And because I was riding a Bantam bike, my mind went straight to the chickens of the same name. I thought it would be fun to complete the ride dressed in a chicken costume and the Phantom Bantam was born, and I’d now created a commitment I had to keep.”

The journey wasn’t without its challenges. Halfway through the ride, the bike lost top gear which meant Steve had to screech along in third gear for the rest of the journey. At one point the exhaust fell off and on another occasion he had to pull over to make a repair. “And that’s when I realised I’d forgotten to bring a hammer!” he says.

The setbacks didn’t put him off though and, while many would have given up, Steve persevered to complete the challenge, arriving at Bournemouth seafront to a crowd of supporters on Easter Monday.

Jodie remembers welcoming him home; “It was a pretty spectacular end to a rather unusual challenge. He was flanked by local bikers who had come to support him and, as they headed towards me, they looked a little like a ground-based version of the Red Arrows.”

The challenge raised almost £10,000 for Hampshire Hospitals Charity to support patients and staff on the Nick Jonas ward and the couple has recently returned to the hospital to present the donation.

Both got emotional as they returned to meet the team that had cared for them during such an important time and learnt that the money they have raised will be used to support new artwork that is due to be commissioned for the treatment room.

Steve and Jodie presenting their donation to staff on the Nick Jonas ward

Amy Moore, Senior Sister on the ward said, “We’re incredibly grateful to Steve for putting himself through such a challenge and we’re delighted to let them know that we’ll be using their funding to support other patients in our care.

“While it’s functional, the room where we currently provide treatment, isn’t as relaxing as we would like. When people are spending hours sitting still, we want to be able to provide them with a warm, welcoming environment that they feel happy and comfortable in and redecorating the area is really going to make a huge difference to the patient experience.”

Plans are now underway to transform the treatment space for future patients.