There are very few benefits to cycling through London in the middle of February on a dark, cold and wet Tuesday evening. Which is why the mind can easily wander, and it becomes very easy to want after some sort of adventure and change. With my fiancé being from Paris, the idea of a London to Paris cycle has always lingered in the back of my grey matter. However, something about the torment of the cold that night prompted me to pull it forward and into action. I became determined to not be full of ‘should’ve, could’ve, would’ve’ excuses to bore people in years to come, and instead, hold their attention for the slightest bit longer for polite conversation and provide me with a sense of personal achievement.
A cursory glance online at this well-travelled path led me to discover that it was also known to do this journey whilst fundraising for charity. My immediate thought turned to a small charity in East Sussex called Stay Up Late, whom I discovered whilst listening to the radio during the Covid-19 pandemic, when a volunteer for the charity spoke of the work that they do.
Stay Up Late fights for the rights of those with learning disabilities and autism to lead full and active integrated social lives. Along with campaigning for change, they run a volunteer project called Gig Buddies, aimed at enhancing the social lives of said individuals. Social isolation is a huge epidemic for those with learning difficulties; leading disabled charity Sense reported that those with a learning disabilities face significantly higher rates of loneliness than non-disabled peers, with 61% to 70% experiencing chronic loneliness. Research published by the American Psychological Association has further deemed social isolation to have the same detrimental physical effect equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day or having severe obesity. However, repeated cuts to the Adult Social Care budget due to austerity means that money is spent on the essentials, of which ‘socialising with your mates’ is not deemed one of them. Support workers often work inflexible shifts that finish as nighttime economies begin, meaning that individuals often find themselves unable socialise in ways that we take for granted.
This is where Stay Up Late step in. Through the Gig Buddies volunteer project, volunteers are paired with individuals who have learning disabilities and autism and who share similar interests and passions. On a regular basis, volunteers accompany their Gig Buddy to a range of social activities, helping them to lead more fulfilling lives through everyday experiences that they might otherwise struggle to access. These activities can include attending concerts, sporting events, or simply going to the pub.
As an avid music fan with a passion for live music, the idea that I could help someone who has a love of music experience their first gig or enjoy their first mosh pit was a huge draw for me. It is about providing somebody with a conduit into a community that is there and enabling them to become a part of it. Music is made to be a physical experience and there is nothing quite like being present within a live music space, to hear, see and feel the songs that you love in their purest form. This is something that everyone should have the right to experience. However, due to the size of the charity, they were only operating in small pockets around the country – London not being one of them. So, I mothballed the idea until a solution was found. This is where the cycle ride came in; the ability to satiate the need for adventure whilst doing some good.
To say that I am an avid cyclist would not be entirely accurate. As I launched the fundraiser into the ether, I became joyfully overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from all the donations. After giving myself 12 weeks to reach my fundraising target, I successfully surpassed it within three weeks. It was at this juncture that two points became apparent, that I certainly now must do the cycle, also that my bike and legs were woefully underprepared. Whilst I do cycle as part of my commute, that is the extent of my cycling and I would now have to embark into the murky world of the cyclist; gels, mile trackers, watts, Komoot, Strava, spandex, chamois, effective brakes and gears, things I simply hadn’t considered before. My shoes were £20 from Decathlon two years ago, and surely all bikes made that clicking noise from the handlebars?
Over the past four months, training has involved steadily increasing the distances that I am used to over varying types of terrain. Journeys to Margate, Brighton and deep into Essex have helped develop my stamina for long days in the saddle. At time of writing, two weeks out from the start date, I am quietly confident in my ability to tackle the adventure that is ahead of me.
The four-day cycle trek will begin on Wednesday, 22 July at 7:00am from Blackheath Common. The following days will see me travel down to the English coast, cross the channel at Dover and journey through the beautiful villages of Northern France. Stopping overnight in Calais, Abbeville and Beauvais before finishing in at the Trocadero in the centre of Paris. The end of the trip coincides with the end of the Tour De France, where I will be sure to provide the riders with pointers from my previous four days, whilst enjoying a nice light vin rouge somewhere along the Seine.
Stay Up Late are a fantastic charity doing incredible work normalising connection and community for everyone. You can find out more here.
Callum Kroon studied civil and coastal engineering at the University of Plymouth before spending two years travelling across Australasia. On returning to the UK, he began his career in the charity sector before moving into estate management. He is currently the Estates Officer at Middle Temple.
