Bernie Wentworth

Puncheur 

“I FIRST encountered the Morning Star at Sheffield University in the 1980s in the aftermath of the miners’ strike. The paper was readily available in the city and on campus and I became a regular reader.

Liverpool has a history of radical progressive politics and after university I worked for the TUC unemployed centres.

Later I joined the trade union solicitors firm Thompsons as a specialist employment lawyer, and it has been my privilege to work on trade union cases for the last 14 years.

I read the Morning Star every day at work and it is unique in its coverage of trade union news.

Mark David-Gray 

Time-triallist

“I’M RIDING to help ensure that my children will be able to read a newspaper that provides a progressive view of the world. A newspaper whose reporting isn’t shaped by the values of corporations, financial markets and capitalists.

The values, integrity and politics of the Morning Star are essential in exposing the inherent contradictions and unfairness of the current economic system.

We will all be the poorer in a world where the Morning Star ceases to exist, so I am riding to Paris to ensure that our fight for a more just society won’t be made that much harder for those who come after us.

John O’Brien  

All-rounder

“AT 68 I’m the oldest member of the team and I’m as keen on cycling as I am on the Morning Star. When the call went out to join Team Star, I jumped at it.

I am a veteran of the first Edition and I’ve been putting in around 150 miles a week in preparation for this year’s challenge. I remember the paper when it was just a double-sided daily and I have supported it ever since, watching it grow in size and influence to the paper we have today.

The cycle challenge is our attempt to keep that tradition alive for the battles that lie ahead, to win new readers and encourage wider support. And we get to do that by riding our bikes! That can’t be a bad thing can it?

There are three ways to sponsor the ride:

• To pay by card, phone the Morning Star on (020) 8510-0815 (lines are open between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday)
• Go to www.morningstaronline.co.uk/support to make a one-off donation and sponsor a rider
• Send us a cheque, payable to Merseyside Morning Star Supporters Group and send to Pedalling4Progress, 10 Hadassah Grove, Liverpool L17 8XH