2nd March 2011
Ipswich MP Ben Gummer, who pledged to cycle along every street in his constituency for the Treehouse Appeal has completed his challenge- raising thousands of pounds for his efforts.
Ben’s challenge, entitled ‘Ben on a Bike’, saw him cycle a staggering 285 miles, along with Nik Joplin from the Treehouse Appeal Project Team. Nik is a keen cyclist and helped Ben with the project- including organisation and training. They were also joined for a large part of the challenge by Ben’s brother, Felix.
The pair undertook their challenge in October and November last year- enduring freezing cold, snowy and wet conditions, punctures, mechanical problems and aching muscles. Despite this, they managed to persist with their challenge. The cycle was divided over six days, covering the equivalent of 285 miles in 28 hours- raising approximately £8,000 for the appeal. The route was very technical and included many dead-ends and cul-de-sacs, which kept the average speed quite low.
Ben said: “It was a real privilege to be able to help raise money for this wonderful charity. So much good has come out of completing this challenge. I have had the opportunity to cycle through every street in my constituency; I have become firm friends with Nik, who has been an inspiration throughout and a good laugh; and most importantly I have been able to spread the message about what EACH is all about. I would like to thank everyone involved in raising this fantastic sum, most of all the very generous people of Ipswich, who sponsored me and had faith that I would complete this challenge”
The pair started their challenge on Sunday 31 October from the current hospice in Walker Close on a fine, bright and dry. Following an early radio interview with BBC Radio Suffolk’s Rob Dunger, they set off for more than 70 miles in 6.5 hours- finishing in the dark.
On the following Sunday and, following another radio interview with Rob Dunger, Ben and Nik set off for another 55 miles in 5.5 hours. The pair then took a break for remembrance Sunday, which proved to be a stroke of good fortune, as the rain came down very heavily over that weekend.
On their third ride on 21 November, Ben and Nik covered approximately 51 miles in 5 hours. They didn’t quite complete the route, due to three punctures, mechanical failures and Ben’s dodgy knee, so had to spend another couple of hours the following Tuesday morning covering another 20 miles.
The final weekend covered both Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 November- almost abandoning the Saturday ride due to heavy driving snow and sub-zero temperatures – Felix also managed to part company with his bike on some old railway lines by the docks, but wasn’t too badly hurt. Not phased by the weather, they made regular stops at various coffee shops to warm up and, were given free sweets from a lady in the newsagents in Selkirk Road, covering about 50 miles in 5.5 hours. They also had to stop and buy balaclavas, gloves and hats to keep warm!
The final Sunday started off at the existing hospice building at Walker Close, in temperatures of -5 degrees, but they covered the final 35 miles in about 3.5 hours, ending up at the new hospice building at St Augustines Gardens.
Nik said: “I’ve taken part in a few events during my time at EACH, but this one was the most enjoyable and satisfying. Together, we cycled nearly 300 miles and raised approximately £8,000 for the Treehouse Appeal.
“I was surprised at Ben’s fitness levels – for someone who has rarely cycled, to cover over 70 miles on his first outing in 6.5 hours is quite impressive. We had the opportunity to chat about the appeal and political life, but the fact that he gave such a lot of his personal time to this event, is a mark of the man.
Although he was loaned the bike he used for the event, he decided to purchase it, to raffle and raise more funds for the appeal. His contribution has been a genuine gift which we all appreciate.”
Ben kept everyone up to date with his and Nik’s progressvia his dedicated website: www.benonabike.com
Alex Oldham from Cycle Ipswich (http://cycleipswich.wordpress.com/) provided the mapping support for the challenge and the bike Ben used was kindly loaned by Thomas’s Cycle Revolution in Ipswich. Ben has since decided to buy the bike and raffle it to raise yet more funds for the appeal.
