During the August Bank Holiday weekend a group of intrepid cyclists took part in the 10th Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride raising money for a London homeless person's charity, The Connection at St Martin's.
The wind and the rain didn't dampen their spirits. Nor did challenges like swallowing a wasp, breaking a collar bone avoiding a sleeping policeman, a broken axle, various punctures and the odd detour including to the local hospital.
They have raised almost £20,000 towards a challenging target of £25k.
Cycling 214 miles in a little over three days, the group first visited Harby, just outside Lincoln, where Queen Eleanor died in 1290, followed by the sites of all 12 Queen Eleanor Crosses finishing at Queen Eleanor's Tomb in Westminster Abbey.
On the Sunday, having stopped to see the slightly sad site of Northampton's Queen Eleanor Cross, looking unloved behind the barricade, the group headed off drenched in the summer rain.
They were kindly provided with lunch at Stony Stratford Methodist Church, then making tracks south.
After a visit to the location of the Queen Eleanor crosses in Stony Stratford and Woburn, it was a welcome but late arrival in Dunstable staying on the Methodist Church floor across the road from the site of another cross. The fundraisers then set off on Monday early but not necessarily bright for St Albans, Waltham Cross and finally, exhausted, London.
King Edward 1 arranged for his dead wife's body to be carried to London with crosses bearing statues of the Queen - the Queen Eleanor Crosses - to be erected at places where the procession stopped overnight.
Three of the original crosses remain, in Geddington, Hardingstone (on the outskirts of Northampton) and Waltham Cross. The cycling group has actively supported the recent campaign to ensure the refurbishment of the Northampton cross, particularly since the majority of the others were destroyed during the English Civil War.
Each of the riders has their own reason for joining the ride. Charles Woodd, Chair of the Friends of the Connection, who lives in Salisbury sets the scene: "The number of people sleeping rough in central London every night has doubled in five years.
"The Connection at St Martin's provides a range of vital services to help homeless and vulnerable people take the steps they need to in order to get back into society. The Day Centre and Night Shelter are open every day; the Outreach Team goes out every night. On weekdays, users can access practical help and advice on housing, benefits and health, get help to find training, volunteering and job opportunities, and engage in confidence-building creative activities."
Each personal story of a homeless person brings its own tale of heartache leading to broken lives – job loss, bereavement, relationship breakdown, mental health problems, financial worries etc.
Every £100 raised gives someone homeless two nights in the warmth and safety of an emergency Night Centre, with showers, hot nutritious food, and a 1-2-1 support session with a keyworker.
Meanwhile, World Homeless Day is on 10th October.
Anybody who would like to take part in next years' cycle ride can register by clicking here
You can donate here
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