Methodist Church minister Rev Gill Hulme to ride 300 miles from Bishop's Stortford to Blackpool in four days for charity
Bishop's Stortford's Methodist Church minister is preparing to pedal from Bishop's Stortford to Blackpool for charity.
Rev Gill Hulme is embarking on the solo 300-mile, four-day ride in aid of Fund for Human Need, of which she is a trustee.
The South Street cleric, who will be carrying all her own gear, aims to average 70 miles a day, arriving in the Lancashire seaside resort by lunchtime on Monday (June 7).
She said that like many charities, Fund for Human Need (FHN) has suffered a drop in income over the last year but demand for its help has increased.
FHN makes small one-off grants, usually between £80 and £120. Because decisions can be made so quickly, this is a lifeline.
The charity was founded in her home church of Upper Tooting, south-west London. Just over 60 years ago, Rev Donald McNeil preached a hard-hitting sermon and the congregation responded to his call to "love our neighbours" by pledging varying monthly donations.
The chair of FHN, Rev Roger Cresswell, recently wrote: "In a typical month, we may be asked to consider the case of a woman fleeing from a forced marriage needing money for food; a released prisoner allocated an empty property asking for help to buy a bed; a victim of a scam desperate to be able to put money onto their gas and electricity meters... and so much more."
It's not Gill's first charity long-distance bike ride. In October 2019 she cycled 400 miles coast to coast from Lowestoft in Suffolk to St David’s – Britain’s smallest city – in Pembrokeshire on the most westerly tip of Wales. It took her about a week.
On that occasion she was raising money for the Methodist church’s £800,000 redevelopment scheme, to make the place of worship more accessible to disabled visitors and church members, and for Kickstart, which provides help for people looking to get back into work from its base at the church.
Gill said she would "appreciate prayers for strength, endurance and for reasonable weather" as she sets off.
She hopes to raise £1,000. See www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gill-hulme2 or donate to FHN Administrator marked 'Cycle' at 6 Newlands Road, Darlington DL3 9JL.
