Champion Charlie completes 85 mile cycling challenge

Despite living in Bristol, Charlie and his family are frequent visitors to St Mary’s on matchdays. Southampton FC has been in their blood for generations and despite being only seven years old, Charlie’s love for the club already runs deep. But when it came to his trip to this weekend’s Saints game against QPR, young Charlie decided to switch up the 85 mile journey down south – travelling to St Mary’s on two wheels, rather than four.

His inspiration stemmed from ex-Saint and Saints Foundation ambassador Sam McQueen, who took on the Saints Big Bike Challenge back in May. Seeing his hero’s challenge for a good cause left Charlie with a new plan for how he wanted to spend his summer holidays.

Cycling with Dad Chris, Charlie decided to cycle all the way from his home in Bristol to St Mary’s, riding up a distance of 85 miles across 3 and a half days all in aid of Saints Foundation. Setting off on Wednesday with a route down through the West Country, Charlie’s remarkable efforts saw him tackle around 25 miles a day. Regardless of what he'd faced that day, there was always a smile on Charlie’s face when he arrived at his checkpoints.

And there was a deadline to be met. With Saints’ game against QPR a 3pm kick-off, Charlie and his dad made sure to sail into St Mary’s with time to spare. They were met by a fanfare of family, friends and Saints supporters who had been following Charlie’s challenge online, plus both Sammy and Mary Saint were on hand to wave the homecoming flags.

We are delighted to say that Charlie’s fundraising has been met with the generosity it deserves, with the young Saint raising £2,693 – and counting – for Saints Foundation. It’s a massive total that will change lives here in Southampton. Plus, there’s still time to give:

Donate to Charlie

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Charlie and his family for giving their all to this challenge and choosing Saints Foundation as their charity of choice.