Fundraiser of the Month: The Orchard’s charity cycle

110 miles from Bath to Teignmouth

In February 2021, it was 20 years since brothers Matthew and Clarke lost their dad Nick. He had Cushing’s Syndrome, which lead to him getting bowel and liver cancer, and he passed away at only 49 years old. To commemorate their dad, Matthew and Clarke decided to take on a 110 mile cycle ride, from Bath RFC to Teignmouth RFC. Nick was heavily involved with Teignmouth Rugby Club, not only as a player, but also as a coach for youth teams, so the route Matthew and Clarke chose for their cycling challenge was anything but coincidental. Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, their challenge had to be postponed from February to April, but they could finally set off on their ride on the 10 April. Having to postpone the challenge didn’t stop them, and they continued training throughout the winter months, and spreading the word in their local community to raise funds for Children with Cancer UK. The original 110 mile route ended up being closer to 126 miles in the end, as they ended up on an unplanned detour during their ride.

Matthew and Clarke told us:

We feel very emotional about recognising the anniversary of our dad’s passing in conjunction with raising funds and awareness for your amazing charity. Hopefully, our efforts will go some way to help some of the children affected by cancer. Rest assured, thoughts of these children will inspire us through some of the challenging points on our ride and motivate us to push on.

Matthew and Clarke have so far raised more than £3,900 in memory of their dad, which is an amazing amount. To Matthew and Clarke: We’d like to say a huge thank you. Your support will allow us to continue funding life-saving childhood cancer research. If you’ve been inspired by Matthew and Clarke’s story there is still time to donate. Visit their JustGiving page