09/08/2026
A slightly different post from us tonight ❤️
If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ll know my stepdad, Craig.
Craig is one of those people who just quietly gets on with things. He’s my handy Scottish helper, and whenever I come up with another grand plan for the business, he’s usually the one I rope in to help me make it happen!
So you may have noticed that Craig was missing from this year’s Festival of Quilts… and I’m not going to lie, we really did miss him!
But he had a very good reason for being away. Craig has just taken on something completely different — cycling all the way from Scotland to the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to raise money for Care of Police Survivors (COPS), alongside an amazing team.
Now, Craig can ride a bike, but until this challenge, he hadn’t really cycled more than a few miles. So this was a HUGE challenge for him! Earlier today, I had the absolute privilege of watching him cycle into the Arboretum with all of his teammates. I honestly can’t put into words how proud I felt watching him arrive. ❤️
He was looking slightly sore but still had that familiar Craig grin!
The whole team has worked incredibly hard to raise money for COPS, a charity that supports the families and loved ones left behind when a police officer dies in service.
It was such a special moment watching them all arrive, and it was an absolute honour to attend the remembrance service that followed. It was a very emotional day and one that I know Craig, and the rest of the team, will never forget.
And you’ll all be pleased to know that Craig is now driving back home to Scotland rather than cycling! 😂
Tomorrow he’ll be back to his day job in the force, and I’m sure he’ll be straight back into his usual routine as though he hasn’t just cycled across the country!
But I hope he knows just how incredibly proud we all are of him. What he has achieved over the last few days is something very special, and it’s been a privilege to be there to see it.
If you know Craig, or you’d like to support the amazing work of COPS, you can sponsor him here:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/craig-lyall-1?utm_mediu
