Mayor of Felixstowe Cllr Seamus Bennett raises nearly £7,000 as part of coast-to-coast cycle challenge

Nearly £7,000 has been raised as part of a gruelling five-day cycle challenge set up by the Mayor of Felixstowe.

Last Friday, Cllr Seamus Bennett, along with five friends and cycling enthusiast, kicked off the Mayor’s Coast to Coast Charity Ride.

Starting from the most westerly point in St David’s, Wales, the six cycled 400 miles to raise money for four Felixstowe charities chosen by the mayor, which included Pushchair Pitstop, National Coastwatch, Felixstowe Coast Patrol and Boost.

After spending five days riding through challenging landscapes and temperatures in the single figures, Cllr Bennett said he felt quite emotional crossing the finish line on Tuesday.

He said: “It was really moving because we had a lot of friends, family and supporters who welcomed us when we arrived in Felixstowe.

“It was a very special and humbling to get that level of support, but I also felt a little bit sorry that it was over.

“The ride really captured a lot of people’s imaginations across Suffolk and the country, particularly in Wales. People were giving us money as we were stopping.”

The team has raised four times its original target of £1,500.

Cllr Bennett, who has been taking part in triathlons since 1987, said doing a back-to-back cycle ride has been something he wanted to do for a while now and he felt relieved to have made it a reality.

He also hopes the challenge has helped to raise the profile of Felixstowe.

He added: “As a Mayor of Felixstowe, I wanted to spread the word about our town and Suffolk. I was also keen to promote cycling.

“I was really happy to have done it. I wanted to do the coast-to-coast ride for some years.”

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