Cambridge Students Cycle 124km for Lourdes Charity

Year 12 student Kuba Chatkowski shares the story of how he and three fellow students cycled from Cambridge to Norwich Cathedral, raising more than £2,500 for HCPT Group 104 and its work supporting disabled and disadvantaged children on pilgrimage to Lourdes.

On Thursday 21 May, a group of four of us (Gabriel Bell, Daniel Galantini, André Costa Zubko and me) undertook an ambitious challenge, cycling from the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs in Cambridge to the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich to raise money for HCPT Group 104, which takes disabled and disadvantaged children from across the Cambridge area on life-changing pilgrimages to Lourdes.

Each year, Hills Road Sixth Form College organises Social Action Week, during which all Year 12 students are taken off timetable and challenged to raise at least £200 in small groups for a charity of their choice. Wanting to support a worthwhile Catholic cause, we chose HCPT, as one of our team members has a strong personal connection to the charity.

Just before setting off from OLEM, we received a pilgrim blessing from Bishop Alan, who praised our commitment to the challenge and highlighted the importance of charity and service within the Catholic faith.

Our route took us through the beautiful countryside of Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk, passing through quiet villages, open farmland and woodland, a side of East Anglia that is often missed when travelling by car.

The journey was physically demanding. As the miles passed, fatigue began to set in, and we also had to contend with a puncture along the way. However, thanks to strong team spirit and encouragement from fellow cyclists, including some we met en route, we persevered and continued towards our destination.

After around eight hours of cycling, we finally arrived at the Cathedral, where we were warmly welcomed by Deacon Jonathan Callejo. He kindly offered us a final blessing before the altar and congratulated us on our achievement.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we far exceeded our original fundraising target of £200, raising more than £2,500 for HCPT Group 104. Our team finished as the highest fundraiser during Social Action Week, and we were delighted that the money raised will help support such a valuable Catholic cause.

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