Cycling teen rides over 700 miles for charity
The fundraisers at Redwings Aylsham.
Thirteen-year-old Isabel Wright has cycled more than 700 miles as part of a fundraising challenge to visit every Redwings' visitor centre in England and Scotland.
She completed the 12-day challenge on Wednesday, 30 August, arriving at the Redwings Oxhill Visitor near her home in Warwickshire. Her journey raised more than £2,000 for the charity which rescues and cares for abandoned, mistreated and neglected horses and donkeys.
Starting at Redwings Mountains in Forfar, Angus, Scotland, Isabel rode her tandem bike for an average of between 50 and 70 miles a day. Her father Rich Jones and his friend Dave Wright took turns to ride with her.
Travelling down from Scotland, they visited the charity’s two centres in Norfolk and one in Essex, before finally arriving in Warwickshire.
It is the third time that Isabel has raised money for Redwings. In 2021 she walked 100 miles across Shetland with Rich and Dave. The following year, Rich and Isabel climbed two of three highest peaks in Wales. In total, she has raised almost £6,000 for the charity.
Isabel said: “My Grandma took me to Oxhill to visit when I was eight and it made me really want to raise money to help Redwings.
“This was my third fundraiser for them and it was really nice to end it there. It was really hard at times but it was also really fun.”
Debbie Scott, head of fundraising at Redwings, added: “We’re so grateful to Izzy, Rich and Dave.
“It’s such an incredible achievement, and we are so touched that she was inspired to do something like this for us.
“Thank you so much Izzy, and to all the people who made generous donations to her fundraiser. Supporters like you allow us to keep helping the horses, ponies, donkeys and mules who need us.”
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
