Ride to Inspire 2025

Day 1 – London Velodrome Launch

We kicked off at the world-famous Velodrome with over 200 guests, including more than 60 members of the police force, representatives from the DWP, and our incredible sponsor DOVE (Unilever brand). With generous support from B&M, the day was packed with energy and inspiration.

Extraordinary voices such as Emma Henderson MBE, Neil Basu QPM, Emma Kane, and Jonny Huntington set the tone, followed by a lively panel with Chris Barron and Jon Parry, hosted by Leigh and Jonathan Bowman-Perks.

As one guest, Emma Kane, reflected, “I loved hearing the stories and insights of so many extraordinary people.”

With spirits high, we waved off our cyclists as they began the first leg of their adventure.

Day 2 – Women Breaking Barriers at the National Space Centre

After an overnight stop at MK Stadium in Milton Keynes, our riders continued to the awe-inspiring National Space Centre for a landmark Women Breaking Barriers event – thanks to our sponsors inB&M and Bellrock.

Hosted by Arizona Eastwood, we heard from incredible voices including Imogen Harrison, Kiko Matthews, Jacqui Wilkinson, Scotty Mills, Clemence Maheo,  Shane Ro

berts (Home Office), and Clémence Mahéo – all sharing their stories.

A huge thank you to Councillor Teresa Aldred, Lord Mayor of Leicester, for joining us. As Leicester’s first citizen for 2025–2026, Cllr Aldred carries a role of great honour, representing the city and its people with pride. It was a privilege to have her presence, her encouragement, and her recogni

tion of our work as a charity.

The impact was undeniable. Attendee Tania Dovey called it “such an amazing event,” while Aleksej Gubka said it was “truly inspiring and resonated with me so much.” And as Kiko Matthews reminded us: “More people need to know about this charity.”

The National Space Centre could not have been a more fitting venue – a place dedicated to exploration and breaking barriers, just like our mission.

Day 3 – Grantham Finale

The final stop brought our cyclists into the welcoming atmosphere of Grantham Tennis Club, where sunshine, pizza, and refreshments (thanks to Mash Gang) made for a celebratory finish. Musicians Ace Clvrk and Nath Brooks performed as the cyclists arrived.

It was especially moving to see members of our own team – Kelly, Alex, and Kirsten – joining in on the ride.

Cyclists shared their pride in being part of the journey: Jack Prichard called it “an amazing event – I’m already looking forward to next year,” while Michael Cook said, “I really enjoyed it and I’m pleased I could raise some cash to support the next success story.”  Another, Graham Harle, described it as “fantastic – extremely well organised.”

We want to say a huge thank you to every single rider, sponsor, supporter, and speaker who made this journey possible. Thanks to your generosity and dedication, we are thrilled to announce that Ride to Inspire raised a total of £30,999.21🎉 – and created vital new connections along the way.

Thank you to our cyclists: Alex Garment, Tom Day, Michael Cook, Chris Barron, Louise Vardeman, Jacqui Wilkinson, Kirsten Warrender, Kelly Tamplin, Jonathan Bowman-Perks, Daniel Wickham, Sam Mercer, Graham Harle, Jack Prichard, Alex Marshall, Adam Fox-Edwards, Shane Roberts and Justin Levene. 

These funds will go directly towards empowering people from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve both personal and economic empowerment through our core programmes of workshops, mentorship, and work opportunities.

A big thanks also goes out to Discover Adventure who facilitated the ride. We couldn’t have done it without them and highly recommend the organisation.

Jacqui Wilkinson described the whole journey as “a powerful adventure. I met so many wonderful people. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Was Ride to Inspire a big undertaking?

Absolutely. Was it worth it? Without a doubt.

We are so proud of what this initiative has achieved – and we’re only just getting started. Stay tuned for highlights, photos, and the full Ride to Inspire video coming soon!

And guess what? We are planning it all again for May of next year – register your interest below to find out more about getting involved!