A group of friends have almost raised £10,000 for charity after cycling across the UK on a journey to Aberystwyth.

Shaun Lewis and his friends set off from Glasgow on 11 April not knowing the highs and lows that were in store for them on the five-day journey.

Having lost his mother last year, Mr Lewis fell into ‘tough times.’ But when he came out of those tough times, he was ready to give back to those that had helped him through them, as well as those who had been there for his mum.

Mr Lewis said: “I lost my mother last summer, and as a family we’ve done a lot of fundraising in the past. So I wanted to do something to raise money for two charities in my mum’s memory.

“The first charity is Construction Sport, a mental health charity focused on helping construction workers through stress and tough times. A lot of workers have taken their own lives. I work in the industry, and when I lost my mother I went through a really tough time. It was hard trying to find people to talk to, especially after the pandemic where everyone is so busy.

“The Art Therapy unit in Bronglais is the second charity. It means a lot to me because a woman named Zoe used to work in the same department as my mum was in when she was in hospital. Zoe’s now the head of the Art Therapy unit. Mum spoke incredibly highly of her, so when we heard she got the job, we wanted to help as much as we could.”

Mr Lewis knew he wanted to raise money, but for a time, he didn’t know where to begin. That all changed one day. As he said: “It came to me one day, I was at home with my wife and then the idea just came to me. My mum was originally from Glasgow and as a family we spent a lot of time up there. So I knew I wanted to travel from Glasgow to Aberystwyth, where my mum lived for over 30 years. Along the way I wanted to stop at places that had a personal meaning behind them.”

“I thought ‘what’s the quickest way to get to Aber from Glasgow in the shortest amount of days, and that led me to the idea of cycling the journey.”

Mr Lewis had not cycled since he was a child, so he threw himself into training for 8 months. In that time he cycled over 1,700 miles.

All of that training would be necessary, with 362 miles to cover in between Glasgow and Aberystwyth, the group had to travel roughly 80 miles every day. A tough battle in itself, but it wouldn’t be the only challenge that stood in front of the group.

Barely a day into their journey, the group faced ‘the toughest part’ of it all. As they travelled from Carlisle to Windermere, they got caught up in Snow.

Mr Lewis said: “We’d dry off in the van after getting wet and cold from the stage before, but then it was back out there and into snow. It was definitely the hardest part.”

The snow wouldn’t be the last of their problems either. On the last day, the two riders who were still going, Mr Lewis and Garmon Nutting, had to fight against their tiring bodies, as well as unexpectedly tiring bikes. Mr Nutting’s gears snapped, and all of a sudden, he was left with no choice but to cycle the trip’s final 25 miles in his bike’s highest gear.

But they wouldn’t face these challenges alone. The group made the journey alongside their ‘incredible support team.’ Mr Lewis’ wife, Ellie Lewis, and other friends drove alongside them in a support van, making meals for the group each day and night.

Riding alongside the support team was their ‘good friend’ and resident physiotherapist, Ms Sara Williams. Despite everything the group faced, Ms Williams never had to pull out her first aid bag.

The battles the group faced along the way were nothing compared to the amount they managed to raise and the support they had both along the way, and then again afterwards. When the group of cyclists arrived at Aberystwyth rugby club on April 15, they were treated to the ‘perfect send off’ to the journey.

Mr Lewis said: “Arriving back at the rugby club in Aberystwyth with 200 people there cheering you on from the carp park, it was just amazing. It was a great way to close off the journey.”

“The support we were getting from people back home, in Aberystwyth and other places where friends and family were cheering us was the best part of the trip. It was so good to see that we were being noticed for doing something really good.

“Never in a million years did I think the campaign would be so successful. My original target was £1500, but we smashed that within a couple of months. When we started the ride we were just over £4500, during that week we got about £5000 and we’re on about £9,500 now. If we could get £10,000 it would be amazing, it means each charity gets about £5,000. It’s heartwarming, and has made me quite emotional. People are giving up their money in hard times to support these charities.”