A King Edward’s Witley pupil has completed a solo 165km charity cycle challenge during Sport Relief weekend to raise funds for a charity close to his heart.
Ed Kernick, 18, an Upper Sixth Form pupil at King Edward’s Witley, set himself a tough personal challenge to ride a route which features significant sites associated with the history of the School. His goal was to raise funds for the Bridewell Foundation, the charity that awarded him a bursary and supported him through his seven years of study at King Edward’s.
Training for the event commenced eight months ago for Ed, starting with high intensity workouts using watt bikes in the gym, while he looked for a sponsor. When Surrey-based bike company, Bike Swanky, came on board, lending Ed a ‘De Rosa’ road bike, he switched his training to outdoors, cycling around 20km five times a week after school as he fitted his strict regime around a busy school work schedule.
The Bridewell bike ride started out as Ed’s private initiative providing a means by which he could give something back to the charitable Foundation that enabled his education at King Edward’s. Very soon the idea gathered speed and finally became a reality last weekend. Ed says, “I’ve always wanted to do a long distance bike ride and experience the sense of achievement associated with this type of activity, as well as have the chance to test my mental toughness to see how far I can really push myself.”
Ed’s chosen route took in places of historical significance to the Bridewell Foundation. Starting out at 6am on Saturday 19th March from King Edward’s Witley, accompanied by a support vehicle, he travelled to Christ’s Hospital, Horsham, to St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street and then on to Southwark before heading south to Barrow Hills School, Witley, and finishing back at his School around thirteen hours later.
Ed, who is from Whitechapel, East London, says, “The Bridewell Foundation truly is a foundation for life. I feel honoured to have had the privilege of being a pupil at King Edward’s Witley and I’m determined to do all that I can to enable other young people like myself to benefit from an education at King Edward’s and enjoy the same advantages that I’ve had.”
To date more than £4,500 has been raised from parents, Old Witleians, staff and pupils at the School. Donations will be accepted until 19.09.2016. For anyone wanting to donate please visit: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/edwardkernick1