Town lads pledge part of win bonus to club charity cycle pair
The Hatters squad have thrown their support behind club secretary Chris Clark and press and marketing executive Charlie Hanson’s cycle ride from Luton to Paris in aid of Level Trust, by pledging part of their win bonus from yesterday’s game at Accrington to the club charity of the year.
Chris and Charlie pedalled from St Matthew’s Primary School in High Town – where Hatters midfielder Cameron McGeehan waved them off at 9.30 on Friday morning – to the French capital, arriving yesterday afternoon as the players were sealing a play-off spot at the Wham Stadium.
Speaking after the 4-1 victory, captain Scott Cuthbert said: “The lads keep in touch with the people in the office and obviously we knew the manager had done the skydive last week, then we heard that the two lads were doing the cycle from Luton to Paris.
“It’s fantastic and the lads were more than happy to donate a part of our win bonus from today towards a fantastic charity. I was lucky enough to be involved in the presentation that Jane Malcolm made at the start of the season and the lads are delighted that we could pay a little bit towards it.”
Level Trust are a Luton-based charity who work tirelessly to support the 14,000 children in Luton who live below the poverty line. The volunteer-led charity, founded and driven by Jane Malcolm, provide school uniform, warm clothing and equipment essential to help every child succeed at school, so that poverty doesn’t prove a barrier to gaining a good education.
The distance Chris, Charlie and their fellow cyclists covered on their bikes was around the same as the 200 miles Nathan Jones’ squad travelled from Kenilworth Road to Accrington in the comfort of the team coach on Friday afternoon.
“We did hit two hours of traffic though!” smiled Scott. “But no, it’s a brilliant effort. It’s different class that the two of them are willing to do it and raise as much money as they can for a charity that helps out the local kids in Luton.
“The lads are well aware of the charity and what they do, and we are delighted to have our name next to it because it’s a fantastic charity.”
Jane, who started the charity in her kitchen because she didn't think it was fair that so many children live in poverty in her own town, was delighted by the players' gesture.
"We heard the news that Scott and the team were going to donate as the cycling team arrived in Paris. It really helped to top off an amazing trip!
"We are so grateful for their support. The funding raised from the event will go towards helping us provide school uniform, shoes and coats to children living below the poverty line in Luton.
"So, on behalf of all the children who will benefit, thank you guys!"
You can still sponsor the Kenilworth Road duo on their JustGiving pages:
Chris Clark’s JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cdclark
Charlie Hanson’s JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Charlie-Hanson2
*More information on Level Trust can be found on their website -www.leveltrust.org
(Picture courtesy of Rob Palmer/@abers1 on Twitter)