Military wives to visit choirs on mobility scooters

Two women have planned to make a 3,500-mile (5,600km) journey on mobility scooters to visit Military Wives Choirs across the country.

Two years ago, Christine Harrison and Heather Sanderson went to St Wilfrid's Garrison Church, in Strensall, York, for the first time.

As armed forces wives and mothers, they both hoped to find strength and support in joining a choir with their peers.

They quickly became close friends and decided to come up with a fundraising challenge that would support the organisation that helped them in their time of need.

"When I turned 50, I challenged myself every year to do something out of my comfort zone," Ms Sanderson said.

"I was really struggling. I think it was because when I was with my husband, I lived either in or very close to military camps and bases and I didn't have that anymore."

Her husband was in the RAF and her youngest son joined the Army in lockdown.

She particularly struggled when her husband was deployed alone and the young family could not go with him.

"When my husband was away in Kuwait for the last Iraq war, my TV was never off BBC News 24," she said.

When someone suggested joining the York Military Wives Choir, Ms Sanderson decided that would be her challenge for the year because she was not a confident singer.

"I walked into the church that night and I felt at home. I felt safe. I felt secure," she said.

The very same night in January 2023, Ms Harrison also joined the choir and immediately felt at home.

"The moment we go into that church, we know that we've got the ladies on the other side of those doors and they are going to be there for us, whatever happens," she said.

She lost her son, Darren Bonner, when he died in an explosion in Afghanistan while serving with the Army.

"The moment he joined, it was like all of a sudden, all these wars right across the world were coming up," she said.

"He had to go to them and it was horrendous. I was so nervous every time he was away.

"The moment I found out, it was almost like part of me died inside."

She "pushed on" for the sake of her three daughters, and set up a charity in her son's memory.

With the choir being so instrumental in supporting both women, they decided they wanted to support it by fundraising.

"I can't walk long distances anymore and I miss that," Ms Harrison, who has a spinal condition, said.

"Although I can't walk, two of us can certainly ride mobility scooters."

With that in mind, the women plan to visit 62 Military Wives Choirs across the UK to raise money for the charity.

They have started with a smaller route around Yorkshire and Lincolnshire choirs in 8mph boot scooters, with the intention of using some of the donations to upgrade their vehicles for the main challenge in the summer.

"The scooters are our lifeline and it's not been done before," Ms Sanderson said.

"What better way to get awareness?"

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.