Cycling from Bordon to Turin and raising money for CKT

Read the story of one of our supporters, trumpet repairer and player, Will Spencer and his pianist son George who left Surrey on 25th June to cycle 800 miles from Borden to Pisa to raise funds for the Cheryl King Trust|! They will be unsupported and will camp as they go:

"Last October, my son George asked me if I would accompany him on a cycle trip from our house in Bordon, Hampshire, to Turin, after his GCSEs. At the time, whilst flattered to be asked, I thought that this adventure was probably a little over ambitious, and that he would soon lose interest, once he knew what was involved.

Surprisingly, the more research he did, the more enthusiastic he became, and over the next 6 months, worked out a detailed route, based on our physical fitness and types of bike.

Here is an update on our progress

So why Turin?

About 30 years ago, a friend of mine from music college, whist working in Turin, met and married a shepherd. How romantic is that! Soon afterwards, Suzi and Beppe built a hostel on their land in the beautiful Piedmont mountains, which I visited many times over the following years. George loves the wild landscapes, the wonderful food, helping to make the cheeses, and especially helping to look after the animals. He also speaks quite good Italian. An interest that started at a very early age by getting up early and spending time with Suzi in the kitchen with a verb book!

So why the Cheryl King Trust?

Music plays a very important part in both of our lives. George is currently working towards grade 8 piano, sings in a very good church choir, and also plays keyboard in jazz band. I repair and build trumpets, but spent 30 years teaching the trumpet, mainly in state schools in London.

As a child, I was fortunate to have benefited from free music tuition, and feel great sadness that these days, most schools are unable to offer such an important experience. Coincidentally, the trust was set up by Marianne Windham, whose daughter Emily, I used to teach the trumpet, and who sang with me for D-Day.

What’s the plan?

We will start our trip on 25th June, from our house in Bordon, and cycle to Portsmouth where we will board the night the boat to Caen. From there, we will be travelling between campsites, and hopefully arrive safely in Turin to catch a night train back to Paris 23rd July.

The planned route will be around 800 miles long, with a total incline of around 8,500 metres. Putting in the training as well as working out logistics has already been quite an adventure, and hopefully, our efforts will help to raise lots of money for a worthwhile cause!

If you would like to make a donation, here is a link to the gofundme site : https://gofund.me/fcb9b94d