📣 COMPLETED 🚴⚔️🌺 484km / 301 miles. Honouring those who never came home.

Cycling to the Somme – 110 Years On

At 7:30am on 1 July 1916, thousands of men climbed from their trenches and walked into history.

Many would not survive the next hour.

For those who fell, life stopped on the battlefields of the Somme. Their futures ended in an instant. The families they would have raised never existed. The children they would have had were never born. The stories they would have told were never heard.

110 years later, we remember not only the men who died, but everything that died with them.

The point of war is to remind us that there is no point to war.

Between 28 June and 1 July 2026, I will cycle 400 kilometres across northern France in four days, arriving at Beaumont-Hamel at 7:30am on 1 July, exactly 110 years after the opening of the Battle of the Somme.

I am undertaking this challenge to raise money for the Royal British Legion and to honour the memory of those who fought, suffered and died during one of the defining events of the twentieth century.

On the first day alone, the British Army suffered 57,470 casualties, including 19,240 dead — the bloodiest day in its history. Yet the battle continued for 141 days, involving more than three million men and resulting in over one million casualties.

My challenge is insignificant compared with the sacrifices made by those who served. But by making this journey and arriving at the exact moment the battle began 110 years earlier, I hope to pause, reflect and remember the friends we never had.

Every donation will support the Royal British Legion and the vital work it continues to do for veterans, serving personnel and their families.

Thank you for your support.

The Royal British Legion was founded to help those in need following a national crisis. They are working tirelessly to ensure that those who have served are being looked after no matter what challenges they, and the country faces.

Your donation shows you care. And helps the Royal British Legion to continue its vital work. Thank You.