Lymington Triathlon Club raised over £2,700 for the New Forest Basics Bank by covering the distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats and back again twice with a little bit left over.
On Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 April, 105 club members and their family and friends cycled, walked and ran over 7,000km, having set out to cover the 1,407km from Land’s End to John O’Groats. That’s the equivalent of travelling from Lymington to Sri Lanka.
Talking about the decision to fundraise, Antonia Cox, club chair, said: “the committee members had read about the important role that foodbanks are playing in the lockdown, supporting local families I the community who have not had to rely on their help in the past and that our local foodbank had a desperate need of help.”
With government restrictions in place, they were limited to one piece of outdoor exercise each day, seeing them take to static bikes and running or walking around their gardens to help make up the distance.
“The club was blown away by the generosity and enthusiasm of members who threw themselves into the challenge and covered many more miles than expected,” commented Cox.“It also brought the club together as a team virtually.”
In cycling 5,650km on the Saturday and running, walking and hobbling nearly 1,400km on the Sunday, the team managed to not only get from Land’s End to John O’Groats, but they also made it back down to Cornwall before doing the round trip for a second time, even managing to also cover the distance of a return visit from Lymington to the southern tip of Britain in their total distance.
Sarah Fox, a member of Lymington Triathlon Club, said: “It was an absolutely fantastic weekend. Well done LTC and thank you so much for running this. It’s not just a great cause, but also helps us feel together even when distant.”
If you would like to donate to the club’s total for the New Forest Basics Bank, you can visit their fundraising page below.
The theme of the 2020 Mental Health Awareness Week is kindness and celebrating the kindness that we can give to others, especially at this time of lockdown and social isolation.
Lymington Triathlon Club and their supporters put their kindness into action to run, walk, cycle and donate to help support vulnerable members of their community during the crisis.
To find out more about Mental Health Foundation’s Mental Health Awareness Week, visit their website.
