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12-year-old cycles 1,000 miles to raise money for charity
Bristol is a city full of inspirational people and one of those people is 12-year-old Hannah Killick. She has recently completed a 1,000 mile journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats, cycling over 50 miles a day in order to raise money for two charities close to her heart.
The journey, which took the Redmaids’ High school student 17 and a half days to complete, saw her and her father tackle everything from steep uphill climbs in Devon to gale force winds in Scotland.
They were joined at various points on the trip by aunties, uncles and friends, all keen to show their support for Hannah’s amazing feat.
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Determined to reach the goal she’d set for herself, Hannah really put her all into the journey, including cycling a massive 68 miles in one day – and then for 65 miles the day after.
Hannah has raised an enormous £4,498 for charity, and donations are still coming in. Her fundraising success is partly thanks to can be put down partly to her social media – her twitter page has over 300 followers – and a stream of messages from people showing their support for her work.
She also has a blog where the entire journey has been documented: “It was really motivating” said Hannah, speaking about the messages she received while in the highlands of Scotland.
The money raised will be split between two charities. The first is The Grand Appeal and the second is a school in north east Cambodia that Redmaids’ High have partnered with since 2004. £250 can put a teacher through training, and an all weather sports pitch is going to be built using the money she has raised.
Hannah Killick is a year eight student from Redmaid’s High School
“When they were trying to finish the 1,000 mile journey, dad was like ‘I’m tired’ and Hannah was like ‘I’m fine’,” said mum Rachel, who supported the two roving riders by following along in a Camper van for the large majority of the trip. “There were only two days in the entire trip when she rode for less than 50 miles.”
This grit and determination saw Hannah complete the journey three and a half days earlier than expected. Her grandparents had booked a cottage near to the finish line in the hope Hannah would finish on a Friday – but she finished on Tuesday: “They were phoning up saying ‘can we come a bit early?'” laughed Rachel. “She was like the Duracell bunny!”
The only person that didn’t seem surprised by the incredible achievement was Hannah herself. She said about some of the challenges on the trip, such as cycling in the North with the winds against her, getting up “way too early” in the morning and manoeuvring some canal towpaths, but her father said “she was the pace setter.”
“You’ve just got to go for it,” explained the year eight student, when asked what advice she would give to others who are thinking about doing similar journeys.
Hannah’s positive attitude is infectious, and she has clearly had an effect on her local community and the people around her. Her school held a charity day that coincided with Hannah passing through Bristol near the beginning of her journey. She was greeted with a grand reception, with everyone at the school cheering her on. “It was really nice, they all showed their support,” said Hannah. “But it was a bit embarrassing.”
So what’s next for the young biker? “I’d love to cycle across America,” says Hannah. It seems like the sky really is the limit.
If you’d like to donate and support Hannah’s chosen charities, then click on go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=HannahKillick1&pageUrl=1
Read more: Success for Redmaid’s High Junior School Robotics Club
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