At just 12-years of age, Birchington resident Vernon Hill has raised an incredible £1,436 for his Demelza fundraising cycle by cycling the Viking Coastal trail four times alongside his dad, Matthew.
Starting on the weekend of 22nd February, Vernon completed his final leg of cycling on the 2nd May and we caught up with Vernon as he discussed his idea behind starting the fundraiser, his toughest moments on the peddle and the feedback he has received from the local community…
Why did you first want to take up this Demelza fundraising cycle challenge and who would you say helped you through this the most?
I wanted to do this challenge because I knew things would be hard for people at Demelza during Covid-19 and I thought I wanted to help. My Dad had helped me all the way through and I am really appreciative of all the support he has given me.
What made you choose Demelza as the charity you wanted to raise money for?
I chose Demelza because in my last school, we used to do home clothes days and other activities to help charities and Demelza was one of the charities I had found out about; I think it is a great charity that supports children who are very ill.
Were you surprised with the feedback and support you received through your Demelza fundraising cycle challenge?
I was very surprised and grateful for all the support I received. I want to thank everyone who has given me support throughout the challenge. It was an honour to meet the Mayor and Sir Roger Gale MP; I felt very proud of myself.
You covered 143 miles on your journey, what would you say were your most memorable and toughest moments from the challenge?
I did the rides over 4 weekends so that would be 30 miles on just one weekend. The most memorable part was when I met the Mayor and Sir Roger Gale MP. The toughest part was when I rode up a very big hill that I was not able to do for the last two rides, but I managed to do them on the next two rides.
You have raised an incredible £1,436 through the challenge, you must be immensely proud of this, how was the reception when you completed this and what was it like going into school the next day?
A lot of people were extremely impressed and my P.E teacher was very impressed with the amount of cycling I have done and with how much money I raised. My Principal said that it was an amazing thing to do and I should be very proud of what I have done.
Having completed this brilliant fundraiser, do you have any future goals and challenges in the pipeline that you would like to do?
I want to do the Tour of Cambridgeshire in a couple of years’ time and I may do another fundraiser for Demelza when doing so. This is a 100km or 100-mile ride. I will start with the km!
If you would like to donate to Vernon’s Demelza fundraising cycle, please go online and visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/vernon-hill47
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