Six months into 2020, CJC Director Alistair Johnston had been using some of his lockdown downtime to pass the 3,000-mile mark in his quest to cycle 5,000 miles this year, with the added incentive that whether he meets his target or not children’s hospice Haven House will benefit.

At the beginning of this year, Alistair had decided to get back some fitness and set himself a target of cycling 5,000 miles (8,047km) in 2020. His thought was to use commuting time during the spring and summer to get the 100 miles a week average needed.

Of course, commuting into London proved out of the question after mid-March but that did not dissuade Alistair from trying to keep to the mile-count, with many of them clocked up on a static bike at home. At the end of June, and Alistair had pedalled past the halfway point, with a combination of indoor and local cycling during lockdown adding up to 3,000 miles.

While originally conceiving the 5,000-mile ride as a personal fitness target, Alistair subsequently decided to dedicate the ride to Haven House, the children’s hospice charity that CJC has supported for many years.

One of the less reported outcomes of Covid-19 has been the way it has led many fundraising activities to be suspended. As with many other charities, fundraising events provide a key revenue stream for Haven House, without which donors can direct their contributions elsewhere.

However, whether Alistair meets his 5,000-mile target or not, he is committed to ensuring that Haven House benefits. He asks everyone to consider pledging a donation, no matter how small, to a cause whose worthiness speaks for itself. Details here:  https://www.havenhouse.org.uk/

Should he fail to cross the finishing line by 31 December 2020, however, Alistair will pay Haven House all pledges made. In some ways, the bigger the donation, the greater the potential penalty for Alistair!

Alistair’s just giving page can be found at : https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/alistair-johnston3