Live ChatHorsham veteran to cycle nearly 1,000 miles to raise money for SSAFA
26 August 2021
David Estyn-Jones, from Horsham will be leading a team of cyclists who will be launching and finishing their epic trip in London, cycling around Britain via Cardiff, Liverpool and Edinburgh.
The trip is set to run between 4 – 12 September and will be raising funds for SSAFA and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Steve Graham, Managing Director of their sponsors, Imago Interiors, will also be joining part of the ride.
David will be joined by four fellow cyclists: Army doctor Major Natalie Taylor, Steve Graham, James Clare and Julian Colebrook.
The riders are due to set off from Parliament Square in central London at about 9am on 4th September.
They will be clocking up more than 100 miles per day over the course of nine days before arriving back there on Sunday 12th September. To add to their challenge, they will be camping along the route.
David, 51, a former Major in the Royal Gurkha Rifles, served for ten years in Hong Kong, Sierra Leone, Brunei and Bosnia before leaving in 2003. He now works as Head of Operations while also volunteering as a SSAFA mentor. SSAFA’s Mentoring Service provides one to one support to service personnel and their families as they transition to civilian life.
Married with two children, David said: “I and my fellow veterans saw the amazing support SSAFA provides while we were serving. Now we want to give something back. It can be tough settling into civilian life after being in the Forces and I’ve seen the enormous support SSAFA’s Mentoring Service gives.
“I did a similar ride for charity in 2019, from Land’s End to John O'Groats. However, that was a while ago and I need to put in a lot more miles to prepare for this trip. Finding the time to train between mentoring and work is a challenge!
“Our fundraising target is £20,000 which we’re hoping to reach – we’ve already achieved over £1,000. Many people have already offered generous support, including our back-up team and sponsors Imago Interiors, and we’re looking forward to meeting friends and supporters along the route.”