Northumberland Freemason, Graeme Salmon, who is a member of Belvedere Lodge No.6558, which meets at Whitley Bay Masonic Hall, and Lodge of Aveland No.9060, in the Province of Lincolnshire, is to undertake a two week cycling challenge in September this year, travelling nearly 1000 miles from Lands End to John O’Groats. The purpose of his phenominal effort is not only to celebrate the end of “lock down”, but also to raise funds fo,r and awareness of, food poverty, and because of this his employer, Vercity, is granting him leave from work in order to complete the challenge.
In addition to raising much needed funds, Graeme is hoping that both supporters and colleagues will participate in a local Trussell Trust activity either individually, or as a team, as they have a stack of opportunities ranging from active support at a food bank through to coordinating food collections from home, or even promoting Trussell Trust via social media.
The Trussell Trust, in conjunction with local communities, develops and runs sustainable projects in the UK tackling poverty and exclusion. Through the UK Foodbank Network and Community Enterprises they work with marginalised people in real need, providing practical care and support. Find out more about the Trussell Trust at www.trusselltrust.org.
Graemes route through England and Scotland, sorry Wales, takes him up the west side of the British Isles before tracking eastward across Scotland as the journey reaches its climax. He will be riding through, or near to, Taunton, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Dumfries, and Glasgow, all of which are locations were the company he works for is active.
This isn’t the first time that Graeme has taken on this sort of monumental effort. In 2019 he undertook a one day cycle ride from Whitley Bay Masonic Hall to the Masonic Centre in Bourne in Lincolnshire to raise funds for the Northumberland 2020 Festival. The journey took around 13 hours to cover 218 miles, and allowed him to present the Provincial Grand Master with a cheque for £1605 at the 2019 annual meeting.
Help sweeten Graemes journey by making a donation at https://gofund.me/81d595e6.
Many thanks to W.Bro Graeme Salmon for the submission of this article.
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