FOUR teenagers will today ride around the island three times for Children in Need. Charlie Atkinson, Sam Lilly, Josh Le Patural and Olly Good will make the 75-mile round trip on their beloved BMXs.
The friends decided to take on the challenge for charity and took the opportunity to combine their love for BMX-riding with fund-raising.
‘We wanted to do something for Children in Need and we all enjoy BMXing,’ said 16-year-old Charlie.
‘It will be a good challenge and that’s part of the reason we are doing it. It’s a really long way, especially on a BMX. But we are definitely not going to quit, even if we are really knackered.’
He said teenagers often got a bad press but insisted it was only a minority who caused trouble.
‘I think our age group is not portrayed in a good light and we thought this might help improve that image,’ he said. ‘There are people who think all teenagers have that sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll attitude but it’s not like that at all.’
The group have set themselves a target of £1,000 to raise from the ride.
‘It’s a lot of money but we think we can do it,’ Charlie added.
‘We have all gone around our workplaces and college trying to get sponsorship and people have been really surprised that we are riding so far.
‘BMX-riding is a big hobby of all of ours and it’s really nice to be able to combine a hobby with raising money for charity.’
He said the group had visited the Children in Need website. ‘We looked at where the money goes and thought it was such a good cause,’ he said.
‘We will have balloons and ribbons hanging from our bikes so people can recognise us. If people are driving behind us and want to make a donation they can beep a few times and we will stop.’
n Anyone wanting to sponsor the group can get in touch with Charlie on 07781 419550.
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