Pluckley To Paris Cycle Raises £50k For Kent Charity

A peloton of Kent cyclists who travelled 260 miles from Pluckley to Paris have raised more than £50,000 for Maidstone-based charity The Young Lives Foundation (YLF).

Organised by Countrystyle Recycling, the three-day event originally aimed to raise £35,000 for YLF, which supports young people in the care system and vulnerable young adults. However, as they arrived at the Eiffel Tower the 19-strong team smashed the fundraising target, hitting £50,000. The money raised will help provide life-changing advocacy, mentoring, befriending and activity programmes across the county for young people in care.

The peloton left Pluckley, where the head office of Countrystyle Recycling’s parent company Heathcote Holdings is located, and were waved off by the team from YLF.

The first puncture happened before the team reached Dover, but fortunately they were accompanied by a Countrystyle vehicle. The support team kept track of the cyclists via GPS and also carried food and water through rural France where refreshments were few and far between.

After two long days and hundreds of miles, the cyclists finished the final 40 miles on their third day in the saddle, arriving in Paris around midday.

Countrystyle Recycling’s Chief Executive Martin Heathcote, who was part of the peloton, said: “It was a journey full of ups and downs, but we made memories to last a lifetime. We smashed our original target thanks to all the generous people who donated. So far, we’ve raised more than £50k which is completely overwhelming.

“The help this will give to these children really is life-changing and will make a massive impact. I’m so grateful for people really getting behind us to make this a truly memorable moment – arriving at the Eiffel Tower together as one team made me extremely proud.”

The return journey proved easier for the group as their bikes were collected from Paris by a 7.5 tonne Countrystyle truck while they hopped on the Eurostar train.

The cyclists were recruited from across Countrystyle Recycling and its sister organisations in Heathcote Holdings, and among clients, suppliers and friends, including Chambers, AT Bone, Chartway, FGS Agri, Four Jays, Hazport, National Grid, Pumpkin Moon, RM Cycles, Sharpsmart, and Soil Link.

To help the plucky Pluckley peloton raise even more for The Young Lives Foundation, visit https://ylf.enthuse.com/cf/countrystyle-recycling.