Wilton Rotary Club President-elect to cycle 370 miles to France
Aubrey Steele is riding solo to Cherbourg
Last updated 27th Jul 2023
The president-elect of the Wilton Rotary Club is taking on a 370-mile challenge of cycling to France.
Aubrey Steele will cycle 115 miles to Newhaven to catch a ferry to Dieppe in France. It's then a further 254 miles to Cherbourg.
The 62-year-old will start the challenge on Saturday 2nd September.
Aubrey is taking on the challenge to raise funds for the club, as well as it’s profile in the Wilton and Salisbury area.
“You've got to get the brand out there and today you can’t that sit behind the hedge and just blow your whistle because people just walk by, they're not interested,” he said.
“So, I went on a mission to improve the brand in Wilton and Salisbury.”
The Rotary Club has a worldwide network and Aubrey is planning to visit other clubs in both England and France on his way to his destination in Cherbourg.
Preparing for the challenge
Having decided to take on the challenge solo, Aubrey has been preparing by cycling to work and to other places in the county.
He cycles a few miles to and from work every day.
“If you're if you're familiar with the Salisbury area, I live on the Blandford side of Coombe Bissett. Which means I've got that lovely long hill all the way home.”
But he has also been venturing further than to work, cycling to Amesbury and back through the Woodford Valley.
“That puts 20-odd miles on the clock,” he said, adding that it took him a little over an hour to complete that cycle.
Nibbling away at larger issues
Wilton Rotary Club helps support local charities, such as Stars Appeal, Salisbury Hospice and Julia’s House.
But they also help individuals, as Aubrey explained to us:
“There was a gentleman who had a as an electric wheelchair and his battery died and he couldn't afford to replace them. So we got him some new batteries.”
Another occasion was for a mother of three, who was struggling with money and needed a washing machine.
Aubrey said it’s important to keep nibbling away by helping people.
“It's the old grains of sand on the beach. If you keep picking them up and put them somewhere else. Eventually you'll have a bucket of sand.”