Two teenagers are to cycle 522 miles to help a local cause they rate highly.
Wargrave Piggott School pupil Harley Russell, 16, explained how the idea for the “Braking the Cycle, Berkshire to Ireland ride against domestic abuse” came about.
He and his friend Noah Reid of Woodley, who goes to Waingels College, cycled to and from Stonehenge last summer.
“We enjoyed it so much we thought we thought our cycling could raise money for charity,” said Harley of Hurst.
“I know some people who have experienced domestic abuse so we went on to pick Berkshire Women’s Aid (BWA) to support.
“We wanted to help a charity we could see had a local impact in the community. We have both grown up in Berkshire, living here all our lives. It’s nice to give back to our communities.
“BWA have refuges for people who need to get out of their homes immediately. They offer counselling and help people get their feet back on the ground. They give support to children.
“As well as raising money for the charity we want to raise awareness of domestic abuse and the problems it causes all round the country.”
The wording of Russell and Noah’s “Braking the Cycle” ride makes clever use of BWA’s description of what the charity does: “Breaking the cycle. Building new beginnings”.
Harley and Noah’s ambitious ride, their longest ever, takes them from Berkshire to Pembroke Dock in Wales to catch the ferry to Rosslare Harbour in Ireland. Here they’ll stay with relatives before making the return journey.
Noah, who will be 16 by time of the July ride, and Harley will camp along the route.
The cycling duo would love fundraising support via this link https://localgiving.org/fundraising/braking-the-cycle.
