Trainer’s traumatic experience leads to charity ride

Charity ride set to give back to selfless couple.

RIDE: Savage Over Average owners Kerryn Jones and Jake Bell are excited for their charity motorbike ride on Australia Day. Pictured with charity bike rider Jason Ward (centre)

WITNESSING a personal trainer fight back from a traumatic spinal cord injury to start a career helping others inspired Scott Landers to organise a charity ride.

Mr Landers said the Australia Day motorbike ride from Kingaroy to Coolum was a way to give back to the owners of Savage Over Average, Jake Bell and Kerryn Jones, who had dedicated their lives to helping others through personal training.

“I’ve seen Jake come from nothing to where he is now and it’s really inspiring because he should be in a wheelchair,” he said.

Mr Bell spent three years leaning how to walk again after suffering a spinal injury in 1997.

It was an experience she said had inspired him to help others.

“It took me three years to learn how to walk again and three months in a coma- I know what it’s like to struggle to get out of bed,” he said.

“Because when you are paralysed you hate life, you think what is the point of living, when all you can do is flutter your eyelids.

“So, I’ve pretty much been to hell and back and so has Kerryn so we don’t want anyone else to suffer like that.”

Mr Bell and Ms Jones started their small personal training business two years ago to help get people struggling with mental illness back on their feet.

“We help out wherever we can, if someone says, ‘I’m struggling’ we are the first on it whether it’s male or female- we’ve helped people from the ages of 14 to 50,” he said.

“We get them at least socialising with someone and in a better mental mind frame and I think exercise is a starting point- it gets you feeling great, if you have a great workout in the morning the rest of the day flows for you.

“Half the time we aren’t training we are just sitting here talking … it’s more about getting them in a healthier mindset and to show them that it’s OK to not feel OK.”

Mr Landers said all funds raised during the charity ride would be donated to the deserving couple.

“Scott is the man, I’m still so humbled that he chose me,” Mr Bell said.

“He could have chosen so many other people to do this for and for him to choose us and to say, ‘use it for whatever you’ve got to do’, is just amazing.”

Starting from the Shell service station in Kingaroy Mr Landers is expecting 30 riders and five cars.

“We have them coming from Brisbane, Toowoomba, Kingaroy and I think there are some coming from the Sunshine Coast to the start point and I’d like to see a lot more come,” he said.

“I know within the community of bike riders there is always a lot of money for charity because they are very giving people and we’ve got to get some good out there.”

The journey will include five stops along the way where participants can buy a $5 card to compete for the best hand in the overriding poker game.

Cars and bike riders can take part in the charity ride which is $20 per vehicle.

Registration is from 8-9am at the rides starting point.

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