Soham’s Townsperson of the Year 2022, Cliff Loveday, is gearing up to take on the Land’s End to John O’Groats cycling challenge this June.
Starting on Saturday June 4, Cliff, 59, will take on 1,009 miles and 55,000+ ft of climbing over 14 days as part of an organised trip.
Cliff was nominated for Townsperson of the Year following his Learn2Ride cycling lessons that he’s delivered over the past three years to 200 children from Soham and the surrounding areas at St Andrews Primary School.
He teaches children ages three to 14, including children with SEN.
Cliff set up the service in 2019 as a “let’s see if there is a demand” after seeing children riding around Soham on stabilisers and it has kept growing ever since.
The sessions are run on a voluntary basis, 1-2-1 and a normal sum of £5 is charged, all of which is donated to the school.
Cliff has now decided to raise some more money as a thank you to the school for allowing him to teach on their playground, as well as raising some funds for Ely Baby Bank.
“I’m a keen cyclist, but this is going to be a challenge and not a holiday which my wife refers to,” said Cliff.
“I’m just hoping my knees can cope with the amount of climbing as being a Fen boy means hills are a novelty!”
Cliff says he’d like to raise some money for St Andrews Primary School not only as a thank you for the use of their playground, but also for their continued support for his Learn2Ride sessions for the children.
“Access to their school playground has allowed me to offer this service in a safe environment and without their continued support, the Learn2Ride sessions would not be able to happen,” he said.
“The money I raise will be used to benefit all of the children there and I’d really like to say a special thank you to them.”
Cliff’s second organisation, Ely Baby Bank, is a community-based group run by volunteers in Fordham which provides and recycles baby items up to age 12 months for local families in need.
He said: “The funds I raise for them will help the group purchase consumables such as nappies and milk.”
Cliff has already raised a total of £575 for the organisations. His goal was £500.
He understands that the continuing rise in the cost of living is making life more difficult for everyone, but if anyone would like to donate, however small, he asks you to visit his GoFundMe page.
He said: “As the well-known supermarket says, ‘Every Little Helps’. Thank you in anticipation.”
More information about Learn2Ride can be found on Facebook.
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