It’s been 2 years since a gang of us rode over the Himalayas to raise funds for Bolton Lads & Girls Club to buy a new Mini Bus to ensure that the less able young people of Bolton could safely get to/from the club & thanks to the financial help of so many friends we achieve our goal and bought a fantastic new Mini Bus affectionally named the Freedom Bus because, well, “it does exactly what it says on the tin”.

So, I’m back for the next challenge and hopefully to convince friends, family and colleagues again to part with hard earned cash to support Bolton Lads & Girls Club again.  It is a truly inspirational place full of inspirational people dedicated to the kids in Bolton, and the surrounding district, with the sole aim to providing the very best of opportunities & help create “Tomorrow’s Citizens” . www.blgc.co.uk. 

So what would you be supporting this time?  We call it our “Hub & Spoke” appeal and though apparently themed to a bike ride, the challenge that BLGC has undertaken is anything but convenient as it’s about a “lack of convenience”.  As the great place that Bolton Lads & Girls Club surely is, it is not on every potential member’s door step, which means for many young people the need to travel in from the surrounding districts which, not surprisingly, many do not so as a result of a combination of cost, convenience and "being bothered to". 

So what we have decided to do is take Bolton Lads & Girls Club out into the wider Bolton community and create a number of new BLGC “Hubs” that will offer the same great facility and support available at Spa Road but locally and..... conveniently.  Couple this to acquiring more vehicles to reach out further and bring kids to their local Hub and we have "the Hub" and "the Spoke".

To bring attention to what is a huge and difficult challenge for the Club, we thought about an equally huge and difficult personal challenge and so have managed to assemble some 27 riders who, over 7 days, will attempt to ride a bike over some 580miles and climb over 76,000ft of Alpine road ways – that’s enough altitude to get over Mount Everest almost 3 times!  This is the toughest challenge I have faced (please do go to www.cycle-the-alps.co.uk to find out more) and with less than 8 weeks left for training (at the time of writing this) there is going to be many miles ridden and hills climbed between now and the start!

The good news is that we’ve identified our first location and found our first building, so all we need to do is start the work!  And for that we need real money and that’s (hopefully) where you will come in.  Last time we had one specific goal (to buy the Freedom Bus) whereas this time it’s a bit like a wedding list of things we want - £5.00 will buy us some plates for the kitchen, £50.00 will buy us some seating for the common room, £500.00 will buy us a floor covering and £5,000.00 will buy us some structural work!  Believe me, it’s all needed at every level, so do know that if it’s “just a £1.00”, that that's “just a £1.00” that will make a difference with every £1.00 going to the club as I am covering 100% of the cost of the trip – it’s not a free holiday for me!

However, I really believe in this initiative which is why I am making the following pledge that for EVERY £1.00 you pledge, then I will match that pledge, which means your £5 = £10; your £50 = £100; your £500 = £1,000.  For clarity, the sum that you see in the total box raised does INCLUDES my matched donation. 

Thank you for reading this – hopefully I have given you enough information and reasons to get involved and be a part of helping Bolton Lads & Girls Club to open its first new shiny Hub!

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