The important reason this Solihull teacher is visiting his 12 UK homes as he turns 60

A teacher from Solihull is cycling 700 miles across the country visiting all the places he has lived in the UK to raise money for safe house accommodation and care for vulnerable women.

Jonathan Price, who was born in Knowle, Solihull, turned 60 in November last year, and he decided to take on the epic 12-day cycling challenge to mark the occassion and to raise funds for the charity, Ella’s.

Jonathan, an ICT teacher who now lives in Chester, will complete his miles over three long weekends, which started outside the house he was born in Knowle on Thursday (28 April) and finishing in Chester on Saturday, 21 May.

His wife Jayne is accompanying him on the ride, driving a campervan they sourced as a support vehicle.

Their children and friends will also cheer them along the way, some of them even joining him for parts of the ride, and to see Jonathan over the finish line.

Why did Jonathan decide to take on the challenge?

Speaking to BirminghamWorld, Jonathan, a life-long Aston Villa fan, said: “My wife and I have supported Ella’s charity for a couple of years since It was established and when I was approaching my 60^th birthday, I was thinking about all the homes I’d lived in in the UK (He’s also lived in Australia, Tanzania and Kenya, but decided those homes would be too far to cycle!).

“And my wife and I came up with the idea of cycling between all of my old homes in the UK, and tying that in with the celebration of turning 60, but also fundraising for Ella’s as well.”

Jonathan and Jayne are close friends with one of the founders of the charity, which helps survivors of trafficking and exploitation to recover and build lives that are safe and free.

He said: “For the women at Ella’s, it’s crucial that they have a safe home where they can recover and get their lives on track.

“A caring, stable home is important for every person. I’ve always had the benefit of this, but not everyone can say the same. This is my inspiration for the bike ride – the importance of home.”

Jonathan, an experienced cyclist, has been training intensely since November, and he says he will cycle, on average, 60 miles each day to complete the challenge.

He will be cycling along country lanes, minor roads and b-roads to complete his journey, while staying in camp sites along the way.

Jonathan’s 700-mile journey:

• 28/4/2022 Knowle to Cirencester
• 29/4/2022 Cirencester to Castle Cary
• 30/4/2022 Castle Cary to Chew Valley Lake
• 1/5/2022 Chew Valley Lake to Cardiff
• 2/5/2022 Cardiff to Hay-on-Wye
• 6/5/2022 Hay-on-Wye to Welshpool
• 7/5/2022 Welshpool to Chester
• 8/5/2022 Chester to Blackburn
• 9/5/2022 Blackburn to Grassington
• 14/5/2022 Grassington to Haxby
• 15/5/2022 Haxby to Marsden
• 21/5/2022 Marsden to Didsbury and then on to Chester

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