THREE friends will take on a gruelling 500-mile cycle around the coast of Scotland later this month to honour jockey Lorna Brooke who died earlier this year.

Amateur jockey Lorna, 37, was riding Orchestrated for her mother, Lady Susan Brooke, who is based in Dolau, near Llandrindod Wells, when she fell at the third fence in the Pontispool Equine Sports Centre Handicap Chase in Taunton on April 8. She was airlifted to hospital but died 11 days later.

Now, some of her oldest friends have come up with riding the North West 500 as the perfect tribute to Lorna and the “crazy things” she liked to do.

Kate Jones, Rachel Bradbury and Tabitha Worsley will tackle the event – 516 miles of zig-zagging around the north west Scottish coast – which starts and finishes at Inverness Castle.

The trio will start on July 31 and finish on August 6, with another friend, Meg Thomas, set to join them for a few days along the route.

Kate and Co will be raising money for two charities close to Lorna’s heart along the way – including the Injured Jockeys Fund and Retraining of Racehorses. They have set themselves an ambitious target of £10,000, but have already raised more than £8,500.

“We picked Scotland because her father is from Scotland and she has family connections there,” said Kate, from Glasbury, who knew Lorna through the sport and her own involvement with the Retraining of Racehorses charity.

“Lorna rode from Lands End to John O’Groats for a friend who previously fell from a horse and suffered a head injury. Rachel will be riding the bike that she used for that and we all wanted to do something she’d done.”

The ladies will pass through the famous village of John O’Groats around the halfway point of the trip and even though it will offer stunning views of the Scottish coast, Kate knows it will be anything but plain sailing.

“All the cyclists I’ve spoken to say it’s interesting terrain. It’s going to be a tough one, certainly not a parade,” said Kate, who works as an agricultural broker.

“Tabitha is a professional jockey, I rode out for Lorna so we’re all fairly active people. It’ll be a physical and mental challenge but an appropriate event to remember Lorna and the crazy things she used to do.”

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Rachel, from Craven Arms, worked for years in the racing industry with Lorna, while Bromyard duo Tabitha and Meg went to school with Lorna. Their fitness levels and credentials should stand them in good stead – Tabitha rode Sub Lieutenant to a 14th-placed finish at this year’s Grand National in April, two days after Lorna’s fall.

The challenge will be made tougher, however, by the fact that Tabitha fractured her elbow around a week ago, so will essentially be riding one-handed.

“We’ll have photos of Lorna on the front of our bikes to keep us motivated and keep pushing us forward. It will help keep us determined and to think of her,” added Kate.

“We were all incredibly close to her. She was such a lovely person and well liked, it’s only right that we raise awareness and money for two charities she was fond of.

“The amount we’ve been able to fundraise so far speaks volumes for who Lorna was and what people think of her. The equestrian world is vast but also very intimate and the response when something like this happens is incredible.

“Lots of people knew her but her parents have also had lots of tributes from people who knew her only from a distance too.

“She was so lovely to everyone she met. Horses were her number one priority. She was so passionate about them and their welfare.”

The trio will be at Dolau House farm this Sunday, July 11, as a practice for the challenge. It will mean a lot to locals to have the team attending as Lorna was a very respected member of staff at Dolau House, with her local Radnorshire connections.

If you would like to make a donation to either of the charities, you can do so by visiting the ‘Ride for Lorna’ JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/team/LornaBrooke.