Well it has been a good few weeks now since our Trustee Mark and 5 of his close friends embarked upon their Coast2Coast cycle ride from Whitehaven to Whitley Bay, and they have just about stopped aching (we think!).
The lads set off from Whitehaven on Friday 16th July, cycling 55.6 miles to Penrith. Highlights on day 1 included the first (and only!) puncture of the ride about 10 miles in, and a gruelling climb in the midday heat up the stunning Whinlatter Pass. They broke the journey up with a short stop for lunch in Keswick, before arriving into Penrith (just about) in time for some much need carbohydrates at an Italian restaurant.
Day 2 saw our charity founder, Paul, meet the lads in Perith for breakfast. Upon hearing about the route (Day 2 features a lot of hills and was forecast to be the hottest day of the year too!), he kindly arranged to meet the lads halfway along the route with refreshments.
Day 2 was much shorter, only 36.6 miles, but included an elevation gain of 4,600 feet, more than Day 1. The lads set off and soon found themselves climbing some serious hills! The longest uphill section presented them with the tough task of climbing the Hartside Pass. The climb was around 4 miles in total, and was again tackled in the midday heat.
Paul and his son Matthew were there at the top to meet the lads with some very much needed bottles of water, fruit and plenty of sugary snacks! From the top they took in stunning views, which included Helvellyn, Great Gable, Skiddaw, and in Southern Scotland – Criffel. It was great for all the lads to be able to meet Paul, and they thoroughly appreciated him driving out with his mobile drinks and snack wagon too! There were plenty more hills to come too, including arguably the hardest climb and decent of the day to Garrigill, before they eventually arrivind in the beautiful village of St. John’s Chapel.
Day 3, and the lads set off for Whitley Bay, and another 56 miles that took them through County Durham, with a stop in Consett for lunch, onwards to Newcastle for some refreshments in the much welcomed shade of the Tyne Bridge, and then through Tynemouth before finishing on the beach at Whitley Bay!
In the end, the friends and family of our 6 cyclists, along with supporters of Future of Taru, and people who saw local media coverage of the cycle ride donated a grand total of £4,800!
This is a huge amount of money for us and will go a long way to finishing some ofthe secondary school class rooms, along with the roof, toilets and a septic tank.
Our cycling fundraisers, along with all of the Trustees and everyone at the schools in Taru would like to thank everyone who supported this fundraising project. The lads were able to see sponsorship coming in on their mobile phones during the rides each day, and seeing the level of support literally got them up some the harder hills, it really was truly inspirational for them. So thank you to everyone who supported them.
Stay tuned for future updates from Taru, as we will be bringing you photos and videos of the work that is currently underway as continue to build the Secondary School.