The team coasts from coast to coast!
From Thursday 11 August to Saturday 13 August, a team of five employees and supporters of St Mary’s School, Cambridge took on the Coast to Coast challenge – cycling 140 miles over the three days to fundraise for a number of charities that are close to many of our hearts. The team consisted of: Miss Julie Hogg, Head of Development and Fundraising; Mrs Emma Whittley, Alumnae Officer; Miss Tiffany McCrea, International Admissions Officer; Mrs Debbie Hodson, Marketing and Admissions Assistant; and Mrs Helen Hyde, Chair of the school's Circle of Friends.
Setting off on Thursday morning at 10.00am from Whitehaven after a team briefing, the group cycled an approximate 50 miles – although one member of the team, in her own words, “had a tantrum and got in the support van with a lovely welsh bike mechanic after only 29 miles”! When asked what the most difficult part of day one was, the response came “most of it”.
Day two saw the team set off on Friday morning from the B&B in Greystoke where all slept overnight, to take on 40 miles of hilly terrain – with a short stop at the highest café in the UK – the afternoon offering unseasonably cold and wet conditions to the team. On the final day the group set off from Allenheads at 9.00am, having spent the night in bunkbeds and refuelled with a ‘jolly good breakfast’, to cycle the remaining 56 miles – arriving in Tynemouth to a glass of fizz at the sailing club where they dipped their wheels into the sea.
The team hopped on a ferry from there to head to South Shields, where they stayed overnight after celebrating their achievements with a hilarious dinner together, before heading home the next morning. The team is fund raising for five charities including: Cancer Research UK/The Institute of Cancer Research, MIND, The British Heart Foundation and the East Anglian Air Ambulance. To read more about why each team member committed to this challenge or to donate money to the charities mentioned, please view the team’s Virgin Money Giving page here.
