Man will bike from Lands End to John O’Groats to raise £5,000 for Northampton Saints Foundation

A man is aiming to raise £5,000 for the Northampton Saints Foundation by cycling 984 miles from Lands End to John O’Groats.

David Wynne works for the Gateway HR and Training Ltd, which is supporting the foundation as their charity of the year.

Despite being an outdoors man and a keen cyclist since the age of five when he was given his first bike, David would not describe himself as a road racer or mountain biker. He, however, remains undeterred.

“The idea originally surfaced in December 2021 at the Gateway HR and Training conference” David explained. “It started a conversation of what would you regret if you didn’t do it and mine was Lands End to John to Groats.”

The fundraising challenge will see David ride through Clevedon, Chester, Penrith, Pitlochry and Aviemore, reaching ascents of 1,700 metres.

He will set off in June and, in a bid to raise as much money as possible for the foundation, David will give up the luxury of resting in a hotel each night and cycle with all of his camping gear instead.

In preparation for this colossal feat, David has completed 36 training rides, clocking up 1,175 miles and climbing 63,526ft since January 9, 2023. He cycled 216 miles in just three days last week and even tested out his tiny one-man tent.

CEO of Gateway HR Emma Wynne said: “The foundation does such great work to develop and support young people, something that we are very passionate about too.

“During the year, we aim to support the development of the team and also raise as much money as we can through fundraising through our lunch and learns, annual conference and of course David’s cycling event.”

The money raised by David’s challenge and Gateway HR over the year will help the foundation to achieve its ambition of using the power of sport and the values of rugby to inspire the current generation to learn, develop new skills, increase confidence and - where appropriate - return to education, training or employment.

As of May 26, David has raised £668 of his £5,000 goal so far.

To make a donation, visit https://northamptonsaintsfoundation.enthuse.com/pf/gateway-hr-cycling-for-the-saints-foundation.

For information on Gateway’s Lunch and Learn please visit their EventBrite page here.