A 67-year-old man is travelling from France to the north of Scotland “under his own steam” to raise money for different causes.
Geoff Taylor, Funeral Service Manager at Co-op Funeralcare Harrogate on Knaresborough Road, cycled the length of Britain, from Lands’ End to John O’ Groats. The challenge marked the second leg of his three-part fundraising journey over land and sea, with Geoff already having raised more than £600 of his £1000 target for Barnardo’s.
Completing the first leg in 2006, Geoff swam the 21-mile English Channel to raise over £5,000 for Marie Curie Hospice in Bradford. Having finished his most recent cycle, Geoff is now planning the third leg of the challenge, which will see him cycle from the north to south of France, over Mont Ventoux, next year.
Geoff said:
In a silly way, I think I might be the only person to ever have cycled from the north of Scotland to the south of England, swam the English Channel and then pedalled to the south of France, all for charity and under my own steam.
I had plenty of ups and downs along the way and I wasn’t sure if I would have the stamina to cycle the whole journey, so it was quite emotional reaching the finish line. In total, I climbed 69,000 feet of elevation over 1027 miles – which has been a fantastic experience and extremely rewarding both mentally and physically.
I began working at Co-op Funeralcare over 20 years ago, and it was my fantastic team who first encouraged me to start the challenge, even though I’d never swam in the sea before. 18 years later, I am extremely proud to have completed the second part of my challenge for Co-op’s charity partner, Barnardo’s, and hope to reach my goal of £1,000 by the end of September.
I couldn’t have done it without my manager Lucy Brown, who has been so supportive and encouraging since the moment I told her about my ambitious plan. I’d also like to thank Funeral Director Ian Allmark who has stepped up to cover my position while I trained for the challenge.
I already can’t wait to complete the third and final leg of my mission, where I will cycle from St Malo to Nice to raise further funds for charity.
Lucy Brown, Regional Operations Manager at Co-op Funeralcare Central Yorkshire, said:
I am immensely proud of Geoff for his dedication to raising money to help others in need. It means a lot to be able to work with someone who goes above and beyond to make a difference.
As a member-owned business, Co-op is always keen to support important causes however we can. Following our charity partnership with Barnardo’s and mission to raise £5 million to support young people, it was a natural decision to help support Geoff with such a great cause.
Here at Co-op Funeralcare, we’re passionate about giving back to the community and supporting people in any way we can. If his fundraising isn’t proof enough, Geoff is an all-round selfless character and is truly an asset to the team at Harrogate Funeralcare. Congratulations for your hard work and for raising such an impressive amount for charity – a huge well done from the whole team, Geoff!
Geoff’s fundraising is part of Co-op’s charity partnership with Barnardo’s, through which it aims to raise £5 million to support 750,000 young people across the UK with their current and future needs. This includes helping young people and their families with basic needs like access to food, mental wellbeing support and opportunities for the future.
See: Geoff Taylor is fundraising for Barnardo’s (justgiving.com)
