The Chippenham Challenge 2024 – Raising Awareness of Type 1 Diabetes
170 miles, 6 cyclists, 2 days… 1 team!
When: Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th May, 2024
It's 25 years this year since Cricket Club Secretary Shona Rutherford was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Anyone who’s been diagnosed with, or lives with a family member or friend with Type 1 diabetes, will recognise the endless finger prick tests, injections, highs, lows, sleepless nights and disrupted days that are common place following diagnosis. However, Shona wanted mark this 'anniversary' by showing that with careful planning those with the condition can still live life to the fullest!
So Shona came up with the great idea of the Chippenham Challenge, which involves cycling from the Chippenham cricket ground in Wiltshire to our own Chippenham cricket ground in Cambridgeshire. The two clubs are often confused with one another due to their name, however their locations are approximately 170 miles apart on a cyclist’s route.
Shona, club Head Groundsman Greg Hooley, club members Richard 'Woody' Ward and son Liam (also Type 1) will be joined by Mark Hooley and Will Tate for the ride. The route will take them through a variety of roads and recognised cycle routes, through the countryside in Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The journey will take 2 days and they will cover approximately 85 miles each day, so roughly 7-8 hours in the saddle each day!
All being well they will should arrive at our Chippenham ground around tea time during our Sunday fixture on 26th May.
The cycle ride is raising funds for JDRF (the leading global type 1 diabetes charity) who have done much to help the development of technology to help with living with Type 1 Diabetes.and our own Chippenham Cricket Club.
If you would like to support this challenge with a donation you can do so on Shona's GoFundMe page by clicking here
.