Seventy-year-old sets off on pedal-powered charity adventure
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Birmingham cyclist David Langton is gearing up for a mammoth challenge to support vulnerable communities around the world.
The 70-year-old is setting off from Land’s End, in Cornwall, on Thursday, August 21 and plans to cycle around 1,100 miles to John O’Groats, in Scotland, in support of international development agency Christian Aid.
David, a former railway timetable planner, has used his organisational skills to map a 22-day route with an average of 50 miles a day. He originally planned to set out ahead of Christian Aid Week in May. But a cycling accident meant a delay of several months.
David, a Christian Aid rep at Birmingham Cathedral, explained: “Unfortunately, I came off my bike, having misjudged a tramline. Landing awkwardly, I broke my left wrist in three places, though fortunately I am right-handed, and there were no other injuries. The NHS swung into effective and speedy action, bones were realigned and bits of metal inserted - but recovery time is generally about three months and I needed time to get back into training.”
The trip is also a way of marking David’s 70th birthday, earlier this year.
“There’s no better way to see the whole country and get a sense of how far it is from one end to the other,” he added. “And there’s an added element of solidarity with people in other countries who have to travel long distances for work or clean water, though in contrast we have good meals and comfortable accommodation at the end of each day’s journey”
David, who has already raised almost £500, is travelling with his friend Stuart White who is raising money for his church’s restoration fund.
“We’re carrying our kit with us so one of our challenges will be the weight on the bikes and another will be the weather,” David added. “I’ve never done anything like this before, though I have cycled quite a lot locally and I’ve climbed all the Munros in Scotland, often using a bike for access.”
Funds raised from David’s challenge will help Christian Aid’s partners empower vulnerable communities to find practical and sustainable ways out of poverty.
This year’s Christian Aid Week appeal highlighted work in Guatemala, in Central America, where climate change is causing the seasons to intensify and shift erratically. As a result, farming communities have to battle severe floods and, more recently, ferocious heatwaves. Water sources are drying up and vital crops are failing, plunging farming families into hunger and poverty.
Despite the challenges families are facing, the unstoppable power of hope drives people to look for ways to push back.
Christian Aid has been working with organisations like, Coordinación de ONG y Cooperativas, to offer training and tools so farmers can diversify and grow more resilient crops, build water recycling systems using household items, and create organic fertiliser. They are also supported with selling produce locally and campaigning for their rights against land grabs by industrial plantations.
To support David, please visit his JustGiving fundraising page: David Langton is fundraising for Christian Aid.
And to find out more about projects like these and how to get involved, visit www.christianaid.org.uk.
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