Kettering's Guy cycles 700 miles in seven days - and raises £7,500 for charity

A Kettering business consultant raised more than £7,500 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association after he was inspired by Leeds rugby league ace Kevin Sinfield

Guy Banham, a partner with property, business and planning firm Berrys in Kettering, wanted to be part of MND's '7 in 7' challenge after seeing Sinfield complete seven marathons in seven days for his former team-mate Rob Burrow, who is in the grip of the disease.

And Guy didn't let lockdown or freezing temperatures curtail his efforts - cycling 700 miles in seven days and raising the incredible sum for charity.

He said: “It was quite a mission. Cycling 700 miles in seven days tripped off the tongue quite easily when I came up with the idea but in reality it had its ups and downs.”

Over the week he cycled a total of 705.55 miles, doing laps to stay local, and spending more than 45 hours in the saddle with temperatures as low as -5C.

He said that particular lowlights were the 100 miles cycled in his garage and when his fingers nearly dropped off from the cold, but that there were many more highlights despite the cold weather.

He said: “Riding with a friend on a couple of the days was a great boost and another particular highlight was finding toe warmers in Tesco!

“The cold weather didn’t help matters but at least it was dry. I think seven days of rain would have been far worse.”

Guy thanked people for all the support and messages he received during the week and for the generous sponsorship, which he said really helped him to focus his mind when needed to complete the challenge.

He added: “The fundraising total stands at an incredible £7,515 and is still rising which is completely overwhelming and will make a huge difference to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.”

To donate visit his fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/guy-banham.