OV Charles’s Charity Cycling

On Tuesday 27 December, OV Charles Kenny (Ca 11-18 and King’s St Alban’s) will be donning his cycling helmet for an incredible 1,111.1 laps of the Herne Hill Velodrome, South London, for not one but two charities.

The ‘Rapha Festive 500’ is an annual event where participants are challenged to cycle 500Km over eight days between 24-31 December, in their own time. However, Charles will be doing it as one of ten riders and is aiming to complete the challenge in one go, around one track, and in under 22 hours!

Charles’s affinity to push himself out of his comfort zone was evident while at King’s, where he was a member of the Boat Club, the Climbing Club and also the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards.

Charles explains further, “I am doing this frankly daft challenge to raise money for two great causes. Firstly, Beat Eating Disorders. I have done two main sports in my life (rowing, and now cycling), both rife with body image issues and large pressures to be a certain weight/size/proportion etc. Beat Eating Disorders provides a national helpline for anyone to get help confidentially if they are struggling, or for parents/friends to ask questions on how to support someone who is suffering from any eating disorder. Their support is vital, with 1.25 million people in the UK struggling with an eating disorder, often in secret. It is so hard for someone to speak up who is suffering, so if they do there must be comprehensive support available: something not currently available through the NHS. This is a charity and a cause that is close to my heart and I am excited to see how much I can raise.

“Secondly, for the Friends of Herne Hill Velodrome. They make sure Herne Hill Velodrome is run properly for the benefit of the thousands of riders that use the velodrome today, but also to make sure that cycling and heathy lifestyles are promoted to the wider community of potential users as well. This site has been in existence since 1891, and its preservation is important in the community.”

For any OVs local to the velodrome in South London, Charles will be starting at 6pm on Tuesday 27th December and would be delighted to see you and would great if you’d like to join him for some laps.

If you’re interested in learning more about Charles’s challenge, you can get in touch via alumni@ksw.org.uk

We wish you fair weather, Charles, and good luck!