Saffie-Rose Roussos: Charity bike ride from the Wirral to Fareham to take place in memory of youngest victim of Manchester Arena bombing at Ariana Grande concert

A man will raise money in memory of the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing, by cycling over 240 miles from a memorial bench on Merseyside to a proposed site in Fareham.
By Sophie Lewis
Published 1st Jul 2023, 06:00 BST
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Jeffrey Jones, 56, lives on the Wirral and over the years became friends with Saffie-Rose Roussos’s parents, Lisa and Andrew Roussos.

Saffie-Rose was eight when she died on May 22, 2017 in the terrorist bombing of the Manchester Arena, which killed 22 people.

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Jeffrey now decided to take on a mammoth challenge to raise money for her charity set up in her name, The Sparkle Bean Trust.

Eight year old Saffie-Rose Roussos, a pupil at Tarleton Community Primary School, sadly died in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017. A friend of her family is taking part in a charity bike ride from Merseyside to Fareham to raise money for her charity, The Sparkle Bean Trust.Eight year old Saffie-Rose Roussos, a pupil at Tarleton Community Primary School, sadly died in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017. A friend of her family is taking part in a charity bike ride from Merseyside to Fareham to raise money for her charity, The Sparkle Bean Trust.
Eight year old Saffie-Rose Roussos, a pupil at Tarleton Community Primary School, sadly died in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017. A friend of her family is taking part in a charity bike ride from Merseyside to Fareham to raise money for her charity, The Sparkle Bean Trust.

The charity bike ride will start on July 30 and is due to take six days with Jeffrey cycling about 45 miles a day. He has already raised more than £500 to go towards Saffie’s charity, which helps children and the community dealing with grief.

SEE ALSO: Memorial set up in Fareham park for youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing Saffie-Rose Roussos

Jeffrey said: ‘I am determined to do it. I have been conditioning myself to do it. I have been training for about three months and I am comfortable with it so I have just got to do it.

‘I have got three daughters and I have taken all of them to concerts to see their idols and what upsets me is that Saffie was taken to her first concert to see her idol and she didn’t come home – It is unimaginable.

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Jeffrey is taking part in a charity bike ride for Saffie-Rose Roussos.Jeffrey is taking part in a charity bike ride for Saffie-Rose Roussos.
Jeffrey is taking part in a charity bike ride for Saffie-Rose Roussos.

‘It is an amazing charity and it deals with people dealing with trauma and grief – a lot of those kids are still suffering from what happened in the arena.’

The memorial bench for Saffie is along Meols Parade on the Wirral, and Jess Davies, Saffie’s cousin, is trying to get a memorial bench in Fareham Park where she previously created a memorial with photographs.

The family are also going to be coming down to Portsmouth on July 4 to celebrate what would be Saffie’s 15th birthday by watching the Spinnaker Tower light up in her favourite colours.

Jeffrey added: ‘I just want to do something to give back to this fantastic cause and I am really looking forward to going on this little adventure.’

To donate to the fundraiser, click the link.

Related topics:FarehamAriana Grande