Teacher raises over £1,000 with reverse Jarrow March cycle ride from London

School teacher raises over £1,000 for charity in his cycling challenge from London to Jarrow.
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Stephen Hannah, from Jarrow School took on the cycling challenge starting at London and finishing in Jarrow. Stephen has managed to raise just over £1,100 for Children North-East, a charity that creates life-changing differences for babies, children and young people in their families, schools and communities.

Stephen and friend Paul Hume followed the route of the famous ‘Jarrow March’ in reverse. The Jarrow March saw over 200 men and women march from Jarrow to London in 1936 to present their petition to Parliament after the town suffered high levels of poverty and unemployment.

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The pair battled severe weather conditions throughout their challenge but powered through and described the journey as ‘tough and a true test of character’.

Stephen Hannah on his cycling challengeStephen Hannah on his cycling challenge
Stephen Hannah on his cycling challenge

Stephen, Head of year nine at Jarrow School said: “We were pleased to stay safe with no accidents and able to look out for each other during the full challenge. Luckily there were some 24hr petrol stations along the route which gave us a small reprieve at times, including one nice attendant who opened so we could stand inside with a coffee.”

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The two cyclists were outside for almost 25 hours with no sleep stops, with almost 18 hours of that being moving time. They were expecting to finish the challenge, however they were hit such torrential weather conditions. This included a very strong westerly wind, forcing them move at a slower rate.

Stephen and Paul took on the challenge as part of Pedal for Cause, a range of endurance challenges to raise money for children in the North East.

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Stephen added: "I am currently thinking about the next challenge and how we can continue to raise awareness for Children North-East here at Pedal for Cause.”

Lucy, Stephen’s wife, said, “I am very proud of my husband Stephen and his impressive levels of resilience. He is always looking for ways to raise money for excellent causes and is passionate about the welfare of young people. He is not afraid to put himself out there by pushing himself to his limits. I truly admire his strength of character.”

He is thrilled with the amount raised with donations still to come. To donate to the cause visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pedalforcause

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