DAREDEVILS are being invited to take on a thrilling zip wire ride over Ilkley Moor this summer to raise vital funds for Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice.

Zip the Cow, which takes place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 July, will see brave individuals walk up to the top of the iconic ‘cow’ at the Cow and Calf Rocks above Ilkley, before whizzing 270m down Ilkley Moor at speeds of up to 35mph.

It follows the sell-out success of last year’s event, which saw 550 people ranging in age from 8 to 80 take flight and generate thousands for Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice which provides expert palliative care and support to people living with life-limiting conditions.

This year organisers are encouraging friends and families to Zip the Cow together, to celebrate significant birthdays or special occasions that haven’t been marked in the same way due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We saw from Zip the Cow in 2021 that it was a superb way for local families to come together and celebrate a loved one’s big birthday,” said Andrew Wood, Community Fundraising Manager at Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice. “It was fantastic to see people cheering and waving as granny flew through the air over their heads screaming and laughing.”

“We hope that this year’s Zip the Cow will once again offer the opportunity for families and friends to have fun, try something new on their doorstep and share a truly memorable experience, all while raising funds for a very worthwhile local cause.”

One of the people making it a family affair is 32 year-old Katrina Holyoake, who is set to soar over Ilkley Moor with two aunts and a cousin in memory of her granddad, Chris Kelly, who was a long-time supporter of Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice and received care from the hospice’s community team at his home in Keighley before he passed away in 2020.

“My grandad received amazing care at the end of his life from the Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice and they enabled him to stay at home, which is what he wanted,” shares Katrina. “It was always the one charity he supported and during his life he did so much to raise funds, particularly through charity gigs with his band The Keighley Nomads.”

“I decided that I wanted to carry on his fundraising legacy and when I saw Zip the Cow I thought it would be brilliant. When I mentioned it to his daughter Tracey and granddaughter Kelly they suggested that we should all do it as a family.”

The brave foursome are coming from different ends of the country to take on the thrilling zip wire. Katrina will be travelling from London, while Tracey Clough and Kelly Weston live locally in Keighley and Tracey’s half-sister, Lynsey Robinson, is joining them from Scotland. They will be cheered on by other family members who are coming to watch on the day.

“I’m an adrenaline junkie and wanted to tick a zip wire off my list, but I also think Zip the Cow is such a fun and memorable thing that we can do together as a family. We haven’t been able to see each other for so long because of the pandemic, so it’ll be so nice to be together and raise funds and in memory of my grandad. I think he would have found it quite funny and loved watching us do it!”

Zip the Cow is sponsored by RDC Solicitors, 247 Nursing and Woodhouse Grove School and is suitable for people of all ages, providing they are between 32kg-111kg and physically fit enough to walk the rough path to the top of the cow rock. Everyone who takes part will receive a bespoke ‘I Zipped the Cow’ medal.

Entry is £25 with a minimum fundraising target of £50, which will make all the difference to patients and families needing Sue Ryder’s expert care. For more information and to sign up, visit: sueryder.org/zipthecow