Big Bike Challenge 2022: Jake's Journey
He’s come so far, but now he’s going even further. 2 wheels, 9 days, 20 stadiums – an epic challenge that is Jake's way of going the extra mile and giving back to the charity that transformed his life.
Jake has been sponsored to take on the challenge by Williams Shipping, a local family-run marine and logistics company who instantly connected with the story of how a fellow Southampton lad overcame huge personal issues to turn his life around and give back to his community.
We spotlighted Jake's incredible story back at the start of our 20th anniversary season, where he opened up about living with mental health issues, facing unemployment and even homelessness.
Jake's life reached a turning point when he engaged with our Saints Works project. At the end of 12 weeks of employability training, he was ready to find work – and found it close to home.
At time of filming, Jake had already made huge strides, giving back to Saints Works as a casual coach and mentoring young people who found themselves in a position similar to his own. We're now delighted to say that Jake is leading Saints Works as a full-time Employability Officer, working at the heart of the Foundation that's meant so much to him.
Outside of his role with Saints Works, Jake is always eager to give back to his community in other ways, with his volunteering with the vaccination rollout even earning him recognition by the Duke of Cambridge. But now he's taking on a challenge that's quite literally going the extra mile – an epic cycling challenge of more than 800 miles from Newcastle United's St James' Park all the way down to St Mary's Stadium.
Jake's ride is sponsored by Williams Shipping, who have kindly donated to Saints Foundation to recognise his incredible journey with us.
The Big Bike Challenge 2022, powered by Wessex Regional Care, continues all this week and culminates on Sunday 10 June with a homecoming to St Mary's Stadium.
