An equipment donation from fire sector workwear specialist Ballyclare Limited has helped keep an unusual musician on the road. Ballyclare provided a GORE-TEX waterproof coverall to Jon Hodkin, who travels the roads of Britain armed with a special combination of a tricycle and a tuba.
Operating under the name of InnerTuba, Jon rides a recumbent trike and trailer combination around the UK, on what he describes as a mission to add music, activity and adventure to the lives of the people he meets. “Combining my passions for cycling and playing the tuba allows me to visit schools and community halls, meet different people and put on presentations of tuba music. That involves cycling in all kinds of weather, and when I saw the sort of protective weatherproof clothing that Ballyclare manufactures I knew it was exactly what I needed.”
InnerTuba
“When Jon contacted us and told us of his requirements we were happy to help,” says Ballyclare Regional Sales Manager Anne Marshall. “Jon has been putting on the InnerTuba concerts since 2000, and he obviously brings a lot of pleasure to people. One of our GORE-TEX coveralls was the perfect solution to help keep him warm and dry on his travels.”
Jon has already put his Ballyclare garments to the test, using them on a 5-hour ride during which he encountered 70mph winds, sleet, snow, rain and a very cold wind chill. “The Ballyclare kit helped me stay warm and dry,” he says. “Just as importantly, it also made me highly visible to other traffic in the poor driving conditions, so I’m looking forward to using it on a coast-to-coast ride of Canada which I’m hoping to tackle in the future.”
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