THE heartbroken friend of a young woman who was killed in a horror crash is set to take on a gruelling challenge in her memory by cycling more than 650 miles from Glasgow to Paris.
Emma Burke Newman tragically died after being hit by a lorry in Glasgow city centre on the morning of January 27, 2023.
The 22-year-old, from France, was cycling to Glasgow’s Mackintosh School of Architecture - where she was a student - when the collision took place.
Cathal Cradden, Emma’s friend from France, will be taking on the 688-mile charity ride to raise funds in her honour.
The 18-year-old is preparing to set off on his journey on June 28.
“Emma was unwaveringly joyous,” Cathal said.
“She was at university with my older brother in London, and then she spent time with us during lockdown. She stayed with my family in France for several months.
“Because she was an older brother's friend, when she was living with us, she was a bit more like my older sister, really.”
The student revealed he struggled to sleep after finding out Emma passed away.
“It was so strange,” Cathal said. “Normally I sleep really well, but for a few weeks, I couldn’t sleep. That was very unusual and yeah, I immediately had this feeling that it would make sense to do something [in her memory].
“It was also just awful to watch my older brother go through this because he's just so much more intense and he and Emma were really good friends. That was difficult, just watching so many people in such pain.”
Cathal decided to take part in the challenge to raise cash for road safety charity Brake – which supported Emma’s devastated parents after her sudden death.
“It also felt like a sitting sendoff because, you know, going from Glasgow back to where Emma was from in Paris,” Cathal added.
“So, it's a bit like a journey home, but also I completely understand the state of the roads in the UK and I thought it would be good to raise some money for a charity that can campaign towards safer roads.”
So far, £2000 has been raised.
But despite being an experienced cyclist, Cathal revealed he is nervous about the long ride.
“I'm absolutely nervous”, he said. “I mean it is some serious distance and it's not something I've really done before, but I felt like it had to be something where I was pushing myself and wasn't sure I'd be able to do so easily.
“I'm thinking about it in stages. I'll have three stages and I might have to take a few days off in between because it'll be really, really long days.
“But it should take me between three and five days.”
We previously reported that Emma is one of 13 people who have tragically passed away due to road accidents in the city this year.
The Glasgow Times has reported on thirteen people – including two children – who have sadly died.
There has been a decrease in road traffic fatalities over the last three years, but this year has already seen an increase from 2022 – with more than six months left.
According to Police Scotland data, seven people lost their lives on the city’s roads last year, nine in 2021 and 14 in 2020.
To donate towards Cathal's fundraising drive, click HERE.
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