Coast to Coast

I might have mentioned that Mr Squidge is a member of Round Table. Well, strictly speaking, he was - he's now with a group of 'retired' tablers who continue to meet the 'actual' tablers, have fun together and raise money for charity.

You might remember the Challenge Evening, Cuban Nights, in memory of Jon, their Round Table chairman who died tragically at the end of 2013.

Well, Loughborough Round Table 260 have recently decided to rename their main charity event each year; it'll be known as The Jon May Challenge.

The 2015 Challenge is to ride Coast to Coast in two days.

This means a team of 14 intrepid cyclists will be donning chamois-lined lycra and some rather eye-catching lime green tops on the 11th June to ride 140 miles from Whitehaven to Tynemouth in just two days. Two of the 14 are actually cycling both ways - on road bikes from Tynemouth to Whitehaven on the 10th, before switching to mountain bikes and doing the return leg in the company of other tablers.

Some of the cyclists and Jon's family. Mr Squidge far right...

Mr Squidge has done the coast to coast before - he last cycled it in 2009 and support crewed in 2010 - and he's doing it again this year. He's been training to build up his mileage and is amassing secret supplies of flapjack and jelly babies, his favourite cycling energy foods.

All the riders will be sponsored to do the ride, with all monies raised for Ashmount School, which was Jon's choice for Chairman's Charity. Ashmount provides education for over 100 children with severe disabilities and learning needs, and has recently located to a new facility. Jon's children and the Tablers have continued Jon's legacy to the school; money raised at previous events has supported indoor and outdoor equipment for the children, and money raised from this event will continue to fund the same area. The target is £5,000.

You can support them all in a couple of ways - leave them a message of encouragement here, on the Scribbles and I'll forward it to them. (They'll need it for so many miles in the saddle!) Or... you could pop over to their Just Giving page and leave them a donation.

Either way, it'll spur them on to complete the challenge.

Thank you!