It’s Bonjour Paris for cycling friends Will Gaunt and Peter Lindley as they reach the end of a £5,000 fundraising challenge in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower!
The pair set off on their epic bike ride in support of our patient care on Bastille Day, July 14.
Will, who is 26 and lives in High Green, and 25-year-old Peter, of Burncross, are experienced St Luke’s fundraisers – their first bike ride, back in 2021 raised more than £5,000, taking them from Sheffield to Cornwall in memory of Will’s grandad Ken Gaunt, and Jack’s aunt Susan Birds, both of whom were patients.
This year’s 500-mile challenge took seven days to complete, setting off from Sheffield and passing through Leicester, Luton and Rochester, through the Channel Tunnel with Eurostar and then from Calais to Amiens, Mours and on to Paris.
And by the time they arrived in the French capital, the pair had raised an incredible £5,000 for our patients and families.
“Everything went according to plan, we didn’t have any major obstacles and even through Google Maps did send us the wrong way a couple of times, we completed the challenge on schedule and didn’t even have any punctures,” said Will.
“The weather was okay through the English leg of the route but once we got over to France it was very warm and there was one day when we did 82 miles that felt like the hardest ride we have ever done.
“We really pleased with all the money we’ve raised – we originally thought a realistic target would be £2,000 but the figure just kept going up and up – we couldn’t believe it.
“All expenses have been covered by ourselves so every penny made is going straight to St Luke’s.
“It was well worth the effort and it was a great experience to look back on when we’re older.”
There’s still time to support Will and Peter - click here