Supporter Stories

Dan Swain tells us all about his Lands End to John O’Groats cycling challenge with his fellow cyclists. Each are nature-loving, outdoor enthusiasts from Derbyshire and will be raising money for us here at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, to help support the continued conservation of our beautiful county.

When it comes to great British bike rides, there aren’t too many that are longer, or have more history than the journey from Lands End to John O’Groats. With the first recorded effort in the late 1800’s on a Penny Farthing over many an unsurfaced road, it’s a route that for over 100 years has been the ultimate test of grit and endurance; but also providing the backdrop for an adventure of a lifetime, taking in some of the most spectacular scenery the UK has to offer. It's also a journey that will brilliantly illustrate the dramatic spectrum of wildlife across Britain. Leaving the warm, bustling South West of the UK, with its populous hedgerows and treelines, and gradually rolling into the harsher, more rugged Scottish highlands where one might be fortunate enough to spot a Golden Eagle, or a Scottish Wildcat.

In June of this year, 5 of us (Dan Swain, Carl Jennison, John Holmes, Chris Housley, and Tim Dixon), each cyclists riding for Derbyshire Club South Peaks CC, will be embarking on this adventure to raise money for the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, setting off on June 14th and hoping to complete the distance in 8 days, averaging approximately 120 miles a day. For us, supporting the maintenance and development of wild spaces is so important. Cycling is an amazing and environmentally friendly method of exploring local wildlife; a way of experiencing the smells, sounds, and sights that come with a rich and diverse countryside. This is why we are so keen on contributing to the continuation of the great work that the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust do.

We’re not unfamiliar with long gruelling rides, having completed multiple rides between 100-200 miles over recent years, though we are certainly not familiar with completing those distances over so many consecutive days. To prepare for such a long distance endurance event, around the demands of a full-time job and a normal life, we’ve been having to train as efficiently as possible. That’s meant increasing the mileage on the regular commute and following structured training plans on the indoor turbo-trainer, alongside our regular mid-week and weekend club rides. For each of us though, this has always been a bucket list challenge, and all the training and hard times will certainly be worth it once we’re enjoying a Scotch whiskey at the end of the journey.

We’ve also been fortunate enough to get support from some local businesses in providing our custom kit and offering generous charitable donations. Thank you to all of the support from Huub, Vibrant Doors, Curtis-Wright Surface Technologies, UK Bike Fit, and Marc Dewhurst Photography. And many thanks also for the kind donations from Unite the Union, The Communications Workers Union, Royal Mail, and all our friends and family. 

It’s not every day you get to meet a real life super hero but Jo Smith, CEO of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust got to do just that earlier this month when Jake, a 5 year old who raised almost £1000 for the Trust paid her a visit.

Jake worked throughout June, as part of The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild campaign to have his wildest month yet. He litter picked, made bird feeders, bug homes and hedgehog houses, planted wild flowers, catalogued moths and watched bats.

Through sponsorship for completing each of his wild activities, he raised £956.78.

To say a huge thank you and to celebrate he visited Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to see their work and chat about how his fundraising efforts are making such a big difference to wildlife.

Jake and his family have only just moved to Ilkeston, in Derbyshire, from Nottingham. His mum, Ashleigh said, “Jake loves the outdoors and it’s been his only escape during lockdown the last year. He's suffered a lot recently will ill health, asthma and hearing issues. Being outdoors means so much to him and he loves wildlife.”

“Meeting up with Jo and Kate Lemon, who leads the Trust’s work where we live, was such a great experience to finish off his wild month. They showed us around their wild garden and Jake got stuck in with pond dipping, finding lots of tadpoles at different stages of development.”

Dr Jo Smith, CEO of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said, “It was such a joy to meet Jake, a real wildlife super hero! We need many more people just like him. Jake has also helped his family swap a lot of their single use plastic such as straws, soaps, washing detergent to plastic free natural alternatives, and encourages them to walk rather than take the car.”

“Actions like these can make a big difference for nature and wildlife. We’re in the middle of a nature and climate crisis - if everyone took Jake’s lead, we’d see real change and nature could start to recover. We can’t wait to see what he gets up to next.”

Jake’s now planning his next fundraiser and has his sights set on becoming a wildlife ranger.