A father and his 11-year-old son have completed a 50-mile bike ride from Leeds to Oldham to raise money for a local rugby club.
Jenson Scholes, aged 11, completed the 50-mile (80 km) ride with Dad Daniel to raise money for his rugby club, the Limehurst Lions, which plays at Hollinwood Cricket Club.
Including stops to rest, the journey took nearly 10 hours – setting off at 10am on Saturday, August 6, they made it back home at around 7.45pm.
The father and son duo have already raised over £500 on the fundraising website GoFundMe – with proceeds set to go towards buying matchday tracksuits for the team.
Having smashed their £350 goal, Mum Siobhan Metcalfe says the excess will go on buying kit for the other age groups at the club.
Jenson was inspired to raise money as the team will be flag bearing in October, at the men’s Rugby League World Cup England v France match, which will be held at the University of Bolton Stadium.
Mum Siobhan said: “They wanted all the teams to have matchday tracksuits, so we all look smart on matchdays and for that World Cup.
“They cost like £40 each – we were talking about it, and Jenson said ‘maybe some people won’t be able to afford that, Mum, it’s quite a lot of money for a tracksuit.’
“Jenson decided he wanted to do a bike ride for it. We’re massive supporters of the Leeds Rhinos, so he decided that he wanted to do it from Headingley in Leeds.”
Jenson said: “I did it to raise money, because I thought people couldn’t afford to buy expensive tracksuits.
“There were a lot of hills that we had to go up, but then on the other side there were big dips – so thank God for that!”
Asked how he was feeling, Jenson said he felt proud and added: “It was very good – my bum’s aching!”
The family also extended their thanks to everyone who had donated and supported the cause, as well as the rugby club.
Originally planning a 40-mile route (64 km), the ride increased to 50 miles (80 km) after the duo decided to take the Rochdale Canal path rather than a more direct route.
Dad Daniel said: “I’m so, so proud of him, he punches above his weight in everything he does, he’s so strongminded and brave it’s unreal – it’s a day we’ll never forget.”
The family has recently been featured in The Oldham Times – with Jenson’s cousin Lee making headlines for his swimming training.
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