John O'Groats cyclists to raise funds for Penryn Foodbank

A group organised by several local businesses will be cycling to the tip of Scotland from Land's End, starting on Sunday August 21, to raise money for the foodbank's new premises on Commercial Road.

The bike ride is the brainchild of Wayne Collins, of WCA Chartered Surveyors, and he has the support of many other local businesses.

The aim of the ride is to raise £10,000 towards the cost of the building, and one six-year old who is riding the 35-mile stretch from Land’s End to Penryn with his father has already raised over £1,000 on his own initiative.

There are three cyclists riding the full distance, with another six covering part of the distance from Highway Church, and more joining the ride in Somerset.

Sarah Simons, the foodbank co-ordinator, said: "‘We are extremely grateful to the team who are heading out on this long journey to raise funds for the home of the foodbank.

"Their contribution to help provide a place for people to come is invaluable to those in the community who find themselves in unexpected crisis and in need of support."

The foodbank, operated by the Highway Church in Penryn, moved from its location in the church to a new location in a former antiques shop after the weight of the food started breaking through the wooden floor in the store room where it was kept.

The new building, Highway House, provides a more secure base for the organisation, which helped just under 6,000 people between March 2010 and MArch this year, including 1,888 children, serving on average about 20 people a week.

It also provides a hub for many other groups and services, such as the Cornwall Befriending Service, which provides free debt, employment, and financial advice, and the church's own volunteer handyman service Helping Hands.

Anyone wishing to support the cyclists and donate to the foodbank can go to the charity's fundraising page at mydonate.bt.com/charities/penrynfalmouthfoodbank