Boy cycles 100 miles for East Anglia's Children's Hospices

Five-year-old Ashton only learnt how to ride a bike in the first lockdown

Author: Arlen JamesPublished 28th Feb 2021

A boy from Suffolk has spent February cycling 100 miles for East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH).

Since learning to ride his bike last year, his mum says he has hardly been off it, and challenged him to ride 35km as part of home-schooling activities.

Ashton, who's a pupil at Bawdsey Primary School, completed it in just four days and requested a bigger challenge.

He decided to take part in the charity's EACH Mile Counts fundraising campaign as he "wanted to help children who are poorly feel happy".

Mum Jessica said: "I couldn’t be more proud of him and I’m in awe of his determination. We follow school’s timetable for home-schooling, finishing between 1.30pm and 2.30pm, then we go on a bike ride, finishing the day with a bath and some warm milk.

"Ashton cycles around our local area and we’re lucky enough to live within cycling distance of Rendlesham Forest, so we cycle there, too. I try to keep up and provide the snacks! Thank you to everyone who has donated. Ashton has said he’s going to continue until the end of February to see how many more miles he can do!"

Ashton, who even braved the snow on his bike, has managed to more than double his initial target of £500 via his JustGiving page.

The money is vital for EACH, which has forecast a deficit of £2 million over the next 12 months as a result of the pandemic.

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