Steve Coldrick’s journey is taking him from Sewell Group Craven Park to Toulouse and back
Steve Coldrick and his bike on a Eurotunnel train on his way to France(Image: Steve Coldrick)
An east Hull man with a love of motorcycles as strong as his passion for his local rugby league club is mixing the two on a special fundraising venture. Steve Coldrick is on his way to Toulouse, in the South of France, conveyed by his Triumph Tiger 900 GT Pro.
Steve’s journey is more than just for the sake of seeing his beloved Hull Kingston Rovers take on Toulouse, on Friday, April 17. Steve has set out to raise as much as he can for a fellow KR fan, Craig Eskrett, who is living with MND.
Steve set out on Monday (April 13) and aims to be at the match at Stade Ernest-Wallon in time for kick-off at 6pm on Friday. He is running a GoFundMe appeal with all donations raised going to support Craig.
“I don’t know him, know him, but I’ve seen Craig a few times at the club,” said Steve. “He was in Las Vegas, in his wheelchair,” added the biker, who was himself at the historic Super League match against Leeds Rhinos, back in February.
“I see KR as a family anyway and Craig is part of that family. I’ve set up a GoFundMe to raise as much money for him as possible and to help raise awareness.”
Steve is updating followers about his journey through his appeal page, where he urges everyone to “rally round Craig and the Robins”. His report of day one saw him setting out at 5am to catch a lunchtime Eurotunnel crossing and “landing in France when the heavens opened”.
With the first 400 miles under his belt, Steve was spending a night in Rouen en route for Toulouse, thanking supporters who have helped in his endeavour so far. They include The Hull Gas Company Ltd; Victoria Dock Tavern; Robbies public house and Team Roberts Triumph.
Day two’s report from Steve said: “Day 2 of our ride for Craig Eskrett MND, 727 miles completed. Currently in Masseret, France.
“The sun is out, 19C. Taking in the famous Millau Bridge tomorrow. We’re currently at £1,130.”
Steve said: “Anything we make will be great. I realise that Rovers fans, having just come back from Las Vegas, will be a bit skint at the moment, but everyone’s going, ‘we’ll put a tenner in’ and that’s brilliant.”
Steve, who is ex-Forces, said: “I love motorcycling – a couple of years ago I raised some funds for Pinderfield’s Spinal Unit through doing something like this – and all of my family have been Rovers fans for years, so biking to France to the game seemed like the perfect opportunity to help Craig.”
Hull father-of-two Craig was diagnosed with MND in 2024. A rugby coach for Skirlaugh U7s, Craig previously said: “My background is all about sport as I do it as a job.
“In one session I was losing function in my leg, it just wasn’t working properly.” Subtle symptoms started in September 2022 for Craig before intensifying and after undergoing many tests, including an MRI scan and an electrical test of the function of his nerves, he was given a diagnosis of MND.
The dad has since been campaigning for the MND Association, with Craig saying: “For me, it is about raising awareness for people who don’t know about it. It is overwhelming but it is also positive.”
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