Burgess Hill Firefighters Ride The Length Of Britain

Tuesday, 15 September 2020 12:28

By John Warburton @Warblefly

Burgess Hill Firefighters After Cycling Land's End To John O'Groats

Firefighters from Burgess Hill have pedalled their way from one end of the country to the other – and raised more than £6,000 for two good causes along the way.

The team of four reported they'd arrived at John O’Groats — the most northerly point of the British mainland — on Monday evening (September 14), having set off from Land’s End in Cornwall on Saturday 5 September.

Burgess Hill Watch Manager Shaun Challis and firefighter Scott Cairncross completed the full 1050 miles, with support from firefighter Matt Firmager and firefighter Martin Belford who shared the driving of the support van and cycled half of the distance each.

According to West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, the challenge saw them take in 60,000ft in elevation over the course of the ten days.

The team of four embarked upon the charity challenge to raise money for Kids Cancer Charity and The Fire Fighters Charity.

Shaun said:

“I can’t tell you how incredible it felt to finally see that fingerpost at the finish line in John O’Groats on Monday.

"After ten days on the road, we were all absolutely exhausted by the end of it.

“But it has been an incredible journey, and the support we have had along the way has been phenomenal.

"People stopped us to give us donations towards our fundraising, and at one of our overnight stops we even managed to win a tenner during a hotly contested game of pool!"

The team celebrated completing their cycle with a dip in the sea at John O'Groats.

Phil Maynard, Station Commander for East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Hurstpierpoint, is West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service’s 'champion' for The Fire Fighters Charity.

Earlier this year he set all stations in West Sussex the ambitious target of raising £1,000 each for the charity.

He said:

“Each of the stations have found clever ways of pushing themselves to the limit to help raise money for this incredibly important cause, but I think Burgess Hill’s Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) cycle is going to take some beating.

"They have all worked exceptionally hard to pull this one off, and I know I speak for the whole of service when I say just how proud we are of everything they have achieved over the past ten days.”

To support the causes of their ride, and stay in touch with donors, the firefighters set up this page.