SUPER-FIT Sidmouth Lifeboat crew saddled up and set off on a round-the-country cycle trek to raise funds for a new back-up vessel yesterday (Saturday).
The hardy team of six riders departed the seafront on the 2,500-mile challenge at 7am.
The team, nick-named as SLOBS [Sidmouth Lifeboat on BikeS], also wants to raise awareness of independent lifeboat stations like theirs.
They will visit more than 40 other such services on their mission, which has been two-and-a-half years in the planning.
“We’ve never done anything like it before, there’s a nervous excitement,” said rider Theo Burgess.
He will be joined by Dean Ruse, Phil Marish, Glyn Jones, Adam Davis, Michael Benzon and support vehicle driver Mark Wearing on the 15-day challenge.
The team hope to return to the lifeboat station on Sunday, April 13, at around 2pm.
The ride is key to an effort to raise £15,200 for a new back-up boat. The Sid Vale Association’s Keith Owen Fund has already contributed £7,000 towards the initiative.
Theo expressed his gratitude to the team’s 25 ‘brilliant’ sponsors and the Sid Valley Rotary Club for helping with accommodation.
You can follow the team’s progress around the route on a blog at http://sidmouthlifeboat.org.uk/slobs/.
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