10 year old Emily completes her 488 mile cycle for Shelterbox

10 year old Emily Read from Exeter gives the family pet Arty a celebratory hug. She arrived at misty Ness Point, Lowestoft on Sunday afternoon following her fortnight-long cycle along Britain’s widest point.

Through wind and rain, along muddy towpaths, and up steep gradients, 10 year old Emily kept on cycling, surely the youngest person ever to undertake such a 488 mile challenge. She was fundraising for ShelterBox, inspired by seeing their stand at the Devon County Show.

image004.jpgAlong the way she found time to visit ShelterBox’s HQ and Visitor Centre in Truro, and later the charity’s London office at Canary Wharf after cycling along the Thames Embankment.

Emily and her father Simon, her mother Jenny (driving the support vehicle containing family dog Arty) rolled into a grey, foggy Lowestoft on Sunday afternoon, with Emily’s satisfied grin providing the sunshine. Along the way the family had stayed with friends, relatives, and grandparents – spending only one night camping.

Emily says to her supporters, ‘I planned to start in Land's End and cycle as far east as I possibly could. I promised to do at least 100 miles, which I did, and then I kept going all the way to Ness Point in Lowestoft, which is the most easterly point in England - around 488 miles and a lot of mud and hills!’

‘Thanks to everyone's amazing support we smashed my first fundraising target! I've put the target up one last time just to see if we can make it up to 10 boxes ...... Thank you SOOOO much - you're all amazing!’

She’ll be returning to school - St Michael’s CofE Primary Academy in Exeter – tomorrow, so today is her only day of rest. ‘It felt really odd getting up this morning because we didn't have to put cycling clothes on. It was the earliest start though, because I had to be up to do a radio interview!’