Local resident and dedicated cyclist Gary Clarke has taken on not one, but two incredible endurance cycling challenges within a single month—raising an impressive £1,160 for Hope House and Ty Gobaith Children’s Hospices.
Gary, 49, from Oswestry, a long-time supporter of Hope House, first completed the gruelling 1,000km TransAtlanticWay race in Ireland. Over nearly five days, he cycled from Kinsale to Derry in an extraordinary test of physical and mental resilience.
“It was a pretty tough ride,” Gary admitted. “Of the riders who started the race, only four of us finished. I actually came fourth, but to be honest, I was just delighted to finish.”
Gary’s efforts raised £770, but determined to go further and break the £1,000 milestone, he took on a second challenge—this time much closer to home.
Last weekend, Gary completed an extraordinary “Everesting” challenge on Oswestry’s Racecourse Lane—cycling up and down the same hill until he reached the elevation equivalent of Mount Everest (8,848m / 29,032 feet). After 289.63km of riding and a total climb of 9,330m, Gary completed the feat in 19 hours and 38 seconds.
“Hope House is an incredible local charity that my wife Kelly and I have been proud to support for many years,” said Gary. “Helping raise money for their vital work means so much to us.”
Vicky Bradbeer, fundraiser at Hope House, praised Gary’s determination:
“It costs £10 million every year to run our services, and we never charge families to access our care. We simply couldn’t be here without amazing people like Gary. Taking on two epic cycling challenges in one month is just phenomenal. A huge thank you from all of us—it really does mean the world.”
Gary and Kelly have raised thousands of pounds for local charities over the years, and their continued dedication to fundraising and community sport earned them one of the Oswestry Life Magazine Local Hero Awards last year.
Gary’s JustGiving page remains open for donations:
👉 https://www.justgiving.com/page/gary-clarke-15
