53-year-old Wymondham High governor Richard Everitt has raised £100 on a solo-sponsored bike ride from Westminster Abbey to Wymondham Abbey. The money will go towards Wymondham Abbey maintenance.

People can donate to the Abbey themselves here.

Richard told the magazine:

“The 'Abbey to Abbey' trip took 3 days and I was delighted to meet with new Rev Andrew Hammond after the ride.

I was keen to end the year 2024 with an adventure, so I made a solo 130-mile cycle trip from Westminster to Wymondham. Westminster Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 for 40 monarchs. Our Wymondham Abbey is one of the grandest religious buildings in East Anglia, originally established in 1107. So, it felt good to link them both. I carried Wymondham's advent service programme with me from start to finish.

Winter cycling is challenging in that the days are shorter; it's cold and wet and your feet freeze! However, it's also rewarding as you can see more. It's less busy and you learn to value something as simple as a cup of tea in a local cafe.

I put my bike on the train at Norwich; the rain streamed down the windows as we headed to Liverpool Street. I made my way to Westminster Abbey for the start. Then along the embankment, and up through Blackfriars, Clerkenwell, Edmonton and Tottenham, weaving through zones 1-6 of London, through street parties, housing estates and cycle paths and onto the Lee Valley trail, under the M25, to the Youth Hostel.

Day two was a lovely ride up through the hills of Hertfordshire, via a quick pit stop at Jamie Oliver's first pub, The Cricketers, in Claveringham. All was going well till my seat stem sheared off in the middle of nowhere, so I had to scoot a few miles to Saffron Walden for repairs and stayed the night just south of Cambridge.

Day three was a cruel and cold cross-country ride into the rain and wind, up through the racecourses of Newmarket, and chased by a dog, but finally made it into the lovely town of Bury St. Edmunds.

The next morning was frosty, but I enjoyed the beautiful Breckland landscapes, cycling up through East Harling, Eccles and over the A11 at Attleborough and onto Wymondham and finally passed Cavick House, over the tracks of the railway line, the two towers of our Abbey came into view.

I had been working in Imperial College London all year, but from Norfolk, so this was also a symbolic end to the year, and great to be home. It was also good to raise a-few pounds for our Abbey too.

I am planning a Norwich to Rouen ride next, but this time, in the warmth of summer!”