Boy cycles from Somerset to Newbury for NHS

A TEN-year-old boy cycled from Yatton, Somerset, to Newbury to raise money for NHS Charities Together.

Eddie Franklin and his father set off on their bicycles on Friday and camped for two nights along the way.

Eddie wanted to cycle to raise money for NHS Charities Together after hearing about all the wonderful work that has been done by health staff during the pandemic.

He wanted to cycle from his home town of Yatton to Newbury, where both sets of his grandparents live, to challenge himself in 2021.

He loves cycling but has never ridden a route that long. His father is also an avid cyclist and the 82-mile route was a challenge for the pair of them.

Eddie and his brother have spent many of their school holidays at Newbury with his grandparents. His parents met at St Bartholomew’s School and were local to the area when they were growing up.

After the first day of cycling Eddie and his father Pete camped near Bradford on Avon and they had hoped to continue their journey along the Kennet and Avon Canal on Saturday.

But the unpredictable weather made it dangerous and slippery to cycle along the narrow canal path so the duo opted to detour alongside the road instead.

They cycled from Bradford on Avon to Burbage, a journey fuelled by pub stops and cola.

On Sunday morning the pair visited St Mary’s Church in Great Bedwyn to visit Eddie's great grandparents’ grave.

They arrived in Newbury in the afternoon and were greeted by a big welcome from his mother Jackie, brother Sam, all his grandparents and his aunt.

Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News, Eddie said that his experience was “a great challenge that was amazing, exhilarating, and tiring”.

To read more about his bike ride and to donate to the cause he is raising money for, visit Eddie's JustGiving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/eddiebikeride