A group of friends from York are embarking on a coast to coast bike ride to raise money for the charity Future of Taru.
They will be cycling around 140 miles from 16 to 18 July – from Whitehaven on the west coast of England to Whitley Bay on the east coast.
The six cyclists are Gary Duncanson, Kevin Martin, Pete Cafferkey, Stu King, Steve Castle and Mark Mattinson.
Set up by Paul and Eunice Moffat, Future of Taru is a UK registered not-for-profit charity that has built a school for over 275 children in Taru – a small town in Kenya.
Many of the children are sponsored to cover the costs of their education, food and clean drinking water.
The charity is now in the process of constructing a secondary school, along with dormitories for orphaned children.
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The group have been training since 5 June, and often have been cycling over a 100 miles weekly in preparation for the ride while juggling full time jobs and other commitments.
Mark Mattinson, cyclist and trustee of Future of Taru, said: “A couple of the group have cycled the Coast to Coast before, whilst some of us have only ever cycled as far as the shops at the end of the street! So we are very much a group of mixed abilities.
“But we are training hard and determined to not only complete the ride, but to also raise as much money as we can for the Future of Taru.”
After being a long-time sponsor, Mark was appointed a trustee for the charity in May 2021 – the sponsored bike ride is his first fundraising campaign.
100% of the money raised will be going directly to the charity, as the cyclists are funding their transport, accommodation, food, and drink themselves.
The money raised will be used for the continued construction of the secondary school and dormitories.
And there’s still time to sponsor the bike ride! Visit the fundraising page here.
For more information about the Future of Taru, please visit their website.