Somerset: Partially-sighted man to circumnavigate county by bike

BBC News

5 days ago

A partially-sighted man is undertaking a 400km (248.5-mile) cycle ride around Somerset a year after having a stroke. James Shone, head of charity I Can & I Am, is riding tandem with work colleague Anthony Dutton and the pair aim to circumnavigate the county.Former head teacher and speaker Mr Shone set up the wellbeing organisation in 2015 after a brain tumour in 2012 led to him losing most of his sight.The pair set off on Sunday and are hoping to raise £35,000 to buy a third double-decker bus to be used in schools as workshop space to help equip young people with practical skills.
The cycle route will take in Porlock Hill, England's steepest A-road with a gradient of up to 25%.The ride is due to finish at Bath Abbey on Wednesday.The charity visits hundreds of schools each year to nurture self-belief and a sense of belonging and resilience.Mr Shone said he expected the four-day trip would be "a challenge".He added: "Last August, I experienced another stroke followed by an accident which resulted in six weeks in hospital and a long period of recovery and it means a lot to me personally to be getting back on the bike."
The charity, he said, would be marking its 10th anniversary this year. "We are looking ahead at building on our achievements so far and funding a third double-decker bus so that we can extend the work that our incredible team of workshop leaders is doing," Mr Shone said.Sessions on the bus begin with cooking pizza followed by a workshop on self-belief. So far they have helped 30,000 children. Mr Dutton and Mr Shone have undertaken a tandem ride before, travelling from Bath to Big Ben in 2021."The distance and type of cycling is going to be a bigger challenge this time," Mr Dutton said.