One man and his dog… are cycling the length and breadth of the country. And it’s all to give back to those responsible for giving that man a second chance at life.
Leigh Taylor (45) and his trusty companion, Taco (5) have been cycling across Northern Ireland for the last two weeks.
Armagh I caught up with the pair following their overnight pit-stop in the Co Armagh town of Tandragee on a rather wet and windy Tuesday morning (May 19).
Our meeting was just six days after Leigh’s two year ‘burniversary’, the unfortunate day when his life took a dramatic change.
On May 13, 2024 Leigh suffered a horrifying workplace explosion in Cumbria that saw him “engulfed in a fireball” that left him in a coma for five weeks and 40% of his body covered with agonising burns.
Despite being sure that he was going to die that day, he miraculously survived. It was a long road to recovery and the accident fundamentally changed his outlook on life.
He says, “it’s hard to understand why you might survive such severe injuries. There has got to be a greater purpose in life and at the minute this is mine.”
When gifted that second chance, Leigh seized his opportunity to find that purpose and to him, it made sense that he should start by giving back to those who helped save him, Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).
In July 2025, Leigh and Taco commenced their UK-wide journey on their sponsored pedal-assist trike. Together, they are known as ‘Paws & Pedal’.
Leigh’s injuries as a result of the explosion
They started in Newcastle from the RVI, as an homage to their incredible care, and made their way along the coastline to Scotland.
Leigh says he travels as “ruthlessly” as possible to avoid carrying additional weight.
“It’s a heavy rig so you’re not getting away with an easy ride,” he said. “Particularly if there’s hills. If it’s safe to do so, Taco gets off and runs up the hills but otherwise she just sits back and takes it all in.
“I have got my clothes in there that come to about 4kg. I have camping equipment as a back-up. I have used it obviously but usually I get hosted. It’s not how I intended on the journey starting but it just kind of organically grew into using Facebook community pages to find hosts because I need to charge every night.”
Leigh speaks incredibly highly of his hosts all who have generously offered him complimentary accommodation to see him through the night.
In Tandragee, that morning, his hosts Paul and Nat were there to see him off with a pre-made lunch and a little wrap of chicken for Taco… even though Paul had already cooked her up two sausages for breakfast!
The night before they benefitted from a hearty feed, sponsored by Ryan at Rumbles and Taco even “dove straight into” a wee Guinness in the pub – much to Nat’s amusement.
It was warm hugs and smiles and they cheerily waved him off and wished him well… not before ensuring his tyres were fully inflated for the ongoing journey to Annalong.
During his stay in Northern Ireland, Leigh has also been generously gifted a few overnight stays in hotels and a night on the River Bann in a river boat!
He’s had his ups and downs, with punctures and breakdowns but all-in-all, he’s embracing every second of this incredible opportunity, never once taking for granted the fact that’s he’s able to do it.
Taco on the trike
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” continued Leigh. “It’s great for anyone with PTSD or recovering from trauma. I don’t know where the road is going to lead but I’m just going to embrace it while it’s happening.
“I ride all day and then I have to socialise at night and catch up with social media and put posts out for the next place I’m going to try and get support ahead of the line. So, it can be intense but it’s all part of the process.”
His fundraising effort has so far raised almost £10,500. He’s reluctant to put an overall target on the challenge, saying instead he’s simply “grateful for any support”.
He did add that he’s got “a long way to go yet” and plans to keep that momentum going… if he could double it, he’d be over the moon!
As long as the wheels keep turning and all goes to plan, he hopes to finish his cycle sometime in and around September. But, he has no plans of stopping permanently!
“I’ll take a few months off and then probably pick up a new challenge next year. I’ve created a really nice community on Facebook, small but very supportive, and they won’t want to see this end. I’ve already got a few ideas!” he said.
Keep an eye out on the roads for Leigh and Taco as they make their way to the Co Down shoreline.
They are always in need of hosts in the areas they commute to, if you can provide any support contact Leigh directly via his Facebook page Paws & Pedal here.
You can also make a donation to his GoFundMe page here.
