THE winning jockey in the 1981 Grand National will be starting a charity horse ride next year in aid of a Tavistock child?s autism treatment. Bob Champion is supporting the Dartmoor Horse Ride for Autism Awareness and Paul Lewis?s Son-Rise programme for autism which is being staged on Sunday, April 13. Riders can take part to help raise awareness of the programme ? a treatment Paul Lewis, 6, has been using for two years. They will head out from the East Dart Hotel in Postbridge, for Merrivale and back again. Bob Champion won the 1981 Grand National on ?Aldaniti? although at the time he was recovering from cancer of which he only had a 40% chance of surviving. He was awarded an MBE in 1983 and the same year he formed the Bob Champion Cancer Trust ? raising millions of pounds for cancer research. Bob will be presenting medals at the halfway stage of the ride, and will then sign books of ?Champions? for his charity. Allen Lewis, Paul?s father, said: ?Bob Champion?s story is about a human being who wasn?t going to be beaten by cancer. He won the Grand National not just for himself but for all those people who suffer and struggle with illnesses and disorders. ?Like Bob, I loved jumping big fences on horses and now I feel we can both be side by side for our special causes, autism and cancer. It is truly an honour that he is coming to Dartmoor and it will be a day we will never forget.? For more details contact Allen Lewis on 01822 614335.
