Local resident Kelly Adkins will be cycling from London to Paris this summer to raise money and awareness for the charity Breast Cancer Now.
Kelly, a life-long resident of Bradley Stoke will join a group of fellow students in cycling 240 miles between the two cities in July.
Taking place from 1st to 3rd July, the cycle ride will take three days to complete. Kelly and her team will start their route in London, heading 73 miles through varied terrain to reach Portsmouth before departing on the overnight ferry to France.
On day 2, Kelly and her team will travel 87 miles, leaving Caen through Normandy on mostly flat roads before arriving at Evreux. The final day will see them leave Evreux and head towards their final destination, the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Whilst in her second year at Plymouth University, Kelly is finding time to fundraise to reach her target of £995. She is currently almost halfway to her target.
Asked why this cause is important to her, she explained: “This is such a worthwhile charity and one that I am proud to support. My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. By God’s grace and through the research funded by charities such as Breast Cancer Now, she is alive and well today! Sadly, I am only too aware that not everyone is as fortunate.”
Kelly is no stranger to fundraising. As as member of the local St John Ambulance unit from age 10, during her cadet life she would get involved in different fundraising events such as bag packing or first aid demonstrations at the Willow Brook Centre. In Summer 2014, Kelly was one of seven students from Bradley Stoke Community School to be involved with initiating a link with the Sawa Sawa Academy in Kenya. She visited the school and raised money to buy equipment for it.
In September 2015, Kelly took part in a Plymouth memory walk to raise money and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Society.
“Since then, I have been itching to take part in another challenge.”
Ironically, Kelly is not a keen cyclist and does not even own a bike, but is eager to take on the challenge. She is preparing for her charity ride by building up fitness and practice at the gym. She intends to use her parents’ bike when she is home over Easter and whilst on placement between April and July, before hiring a bike for the event itself.
“I am certain that this ride will challenge me both physically and mentally. The fact that I am not a keen cyclist will make this even more of a challenge.”
Whilst I am excited to begin, I don’t feel I will ever be fully prepared for the difficulties that cycling such long distances will bring, a concern made even more poignant by the countless people who have approached me in disbelief once they realise the distances I will be cycling each day! I can therefore only justify embarking on such an immense challenge to raise money for an amazing charity like Breast Cancer Now.”
If you would like to support Kelly on her charity cycle ride, you can visit her Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/Kelly-Adkins or text NHTI54 with the amount you wish to donate.
This article originally appeared in the March 2016 edition of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine, delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to 9,500 homes in Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke and Stoke Lodge. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
