*Please note this page was set up by Brandon on behalf of the whole group...

Its hard to imagine, that it was 15 years ago on the 13th August 2011 that a group of 7 relatively inexperienced riders (+ 1 crew) lined up in John o’ Groats to ride the length of the country to Land’s End with the aim to raise money for Bolton Lads & Gilrs Club. At that time, their all-weather pitch was anything but “all-weather” and needed to be replaced, and so it was in 7 long days (3hrs and 7mins) later, we crossed the line and raised enough money not just for the replacement pitch, but replacement netting plus a few other extras – all thanks to you, our sponsors, our work mates, our family, our friends, who so generously gave of your money, whilst we simply gave of our time (and our money, as every event we do is always self-funded to ensure that every penny you give goes directly to the Charity)

Who was to know that every two years since (+ one x3 thanks to COVID) the legacy of that first ride would see many of that original 7 line up alongside a growing number of enthusiastic riders, in a variety of places, taking on huge challenges through the mountains ranges of Europe and India. And whilst the locations and the faces may have changed along the way, the goal has remained the same – to raise money for Bolton Lads & Girls Club (now BLGC) to help them provide an opportunity and a start for every young person that crosses its threshold – please do read more about the incredible work they do here - www.blgc.co.uk.

This year, we will be 21 riders + 3 support crew and is a mix of old hands + brand new faces, taking on 574 miles and a whopping 60,000 ft of climbing across 8 days, starting and finishing in Nice. The really important part though is what we will be asking you to help us raise funds for this year, which is best left to Emma Hutchinson, CEO of BLGC to explain:

“BLGC are raising funds to install a roof on their padel court. The court itself has been generously gifted by a sponsor, but without a roof it is unplayable for a large part of the year, particularly in Bolton!!!! In order to ensure that as many young people as possible can benefit from the opportunity to try padel and participate regularly, BLGC need to raise £50k to install a roof. Once we have the roof on as well as ensuring young people can use the court all year round (the primary goal), this investment will also enable BLGC to hire the court to members of the community during the day when not in use, and this will help raise more funds to not only maintain the court (and ensure the continued use by young people remains free of charge) and also to put more funds back into BLGC to help continue with the work of ensuring every young person gets the start in life they deserve, work that BLGC has been doing now for over 135 years. Can I just add my thanks to you all for supporting these riders who every two years do something special to raise awareness of BLGC and to give us this opportunity to tell so many people about the work we do and why we do it”

Of course, we won’t lie….. we do generally enjoy the rides we do! 15 years on, we are far more proficient on our bikes, and fitter too, but the distance and the elevations involved remain a challenge that we all specifically have to train hard for. This, alongside a minimum rider donation pledge to BLGC, is our investment and of course we cover all the costs of the trip itself (as mentioned earlier) as we don’t expect your generosity to pay for our trip, so be sure all donations given go straight to BLGC. (And by ticking the Gift Aid Box the tax you have already paid on your donation is also reimbursed to BLGC by the Government.)

We realise you will get a lot of Charity calls on your money, and you will all have your favourite charities too, so if you don’t feel like supporting this event for whatever reason we at the least hope we have raised your awareness to the work BLGC does, and also to the work of Onside (https://www.onsideyouthzones.org) a charity that took the proven BLGC model and opened the format out to a further 17 towns and cities around the country (with 4 due to open soon).

Finally, THANK YOU for reading our story. If you are a first time reader then we hope that you have been inspired by what you read; if you are a long term supporter, then a huge thank you again for all the generous support you have given to ensure that the work BLGC does, be that locally with direct intervention in the local community, or nationally by being a beacon/flagship of what great Youth Provision looks like.

Founded in 1889 BLGC is an innovative, dynamic and progressive award winning children and young people’s charity based in Bolton. Our vision and mission is “to enable children and young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to live happier, healthier and positive lives by providing somewhere to go that's safe and modern, something to do that is inspiring and engaging, and someone to talk to when they need it the most”. We provide a vast array of opportunities to improve the lives of over 4,000 active members.