Alan Rogers from Wigan, Lancs will take to the road on 28th May in a bid to raise money for Abbeyfield’s Cove House, a care home in Carnforth. Alan, an Integration Engineer aged 30, will cycle from Lands End to John O’ Groats - the longest distance between two places on the British mainland - in a bid to raise funds for Abbeyfield, a charitable organisation dedicated to making the lives of older people easier and more fulfilling. The 881 mile journey will take ten days and see Alan arrive in John O’ Groats during the latter part of Abbeyfield Week (5th-12th June), an annual celebration to mark the many years of care and support it has provided in the community (54 years) and to raise the profile of the Abbeyfield society locally.
Alan, who has been training for a number of months to prepare himself for the ride, has been bowled over by the generosity and support that he has received so far. He is well on track to smash his initial fundraising target of £1000 after many people have dug deep to help raise funds, also helped by concessions from The Caravan Club who have granted him permission to stay on their sites free of charge for the duration of the journey. This means that every penny raised will go to good causes. If you would like to donate money to Alan you can find him on:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AlanRogers
When interviewed, Alan said: "I watched Chris Moyles climb Kilimanjaro on TV for Comic Relief last year and thought I could do something to raise money too. However, what with all the doom and gloom surrounding the economy, I didn’t expect people to be so kind. I am now considering increasing my target by £500 to £1500. My friend who is accompanying me on the ride and I explored a number of challenges and decided that the Lands End to John O’ Groats bike ride was the one for us."
When asked what he was dreading the most he answered: “Initially I would have said the wind and rain, or the biggest climb of the journey Kirkstone Pass, but now, as it gets closer, I think that the hardest thing of all will be getting back on the saddle each day after a ten hour bike ride!”
Alan decided to donate half of the money raised to Cove House Care Home after some friendly Facebook persuasion from his cousin Cheryl Rogers, who is the House Manager. Cheryl said: “We’re really proud of Alan’s efforts. When I heard he was undecided about the charities he was going to support, I felt duty bound to remind him about The Abbeyfield Society which is a not for profit charitable organisation dedicated to making the lives of older people easier and more fulfilling. We’re a member of the society and we work hard to keep resident accommodation costs low and ensure that additional money goes towards resident amenities, special activities and outings throughout the year to enhance people's lives."