LAST WEEK two friends completed a 900 mile trip from one end of the British Isles to the other.
Myles Harrison and Josh cycled the route to raise funds for CLASP Wokingham, a self-advocacy group for adults with learning disabilities in the Wokingham Borough.
Their efforts have raised more than £2,000.
Myles is the organisation’s chairman, and his friend Josh flew in especially from Australia to join him so that he didn’t have to cycle solo.
“When I started to think about who might be crazy enough to do this with me, I thought of my good friend, Josh Dinale,” said Mr Harrison.
“I used to live in Australia, and we met at church there in 2014.”
The friends began their UK trip on Monday, July 10, and completed the cycle over 10 days, pedalling around 100 miles a day.
Starting at Lands End in Cornwall, they made their way north to John O’ Groats at the furthest tip of Scotland.
Mr Harrison said: “It seemed a great way to celebrate turning 50, and an opportunity to raise some funds for a fantastic local charity, CLASP.
“They do amazing work supporting people with learning disabilities.
“The trustees, the staff and the members are a fantastic group of people, all working together to make a real difference and build a great community.
“I’ve been encouraged and inspired by them, and I wanted to give something back.”
Debs Morrison, CEO of CLASP Wokingham, said: “We will be putting the funds towards our Happy And Healthy club.
“It offers our members sessions like: dancing To music, pilates, healthy eating, and other fitness classes.
“This is very important, as we know that people with learning disabilities can suffer from health inequalities.
“We want to help our members to achieve the best possible health outcomes.”
Mr Harrison said:”The Scottish hills were awe-inspiring, and we just got lost in the fantastic views.
“The weather was sometimes good.
“There was one day when there was a very strong headwind, and we had to pedal hard, even going down hill.
“Overall, we travelled 1,452km, or 902 miles, and burned 58,000 calories.”
Mr Harrison set up a just giving page, and was hoping to raise £1,000, but thanks to the generosity of his supporters, he has exceeded, and doubled that figure.
Anyone wanting to support the fundraising event, should visit: www.justgiving.comand search for Myles Harrison
For information about CLASP Wokingham, log on to: www.claspwokingham.org
