An IT database administrator at the Leeds Building Society participated in a gruelling bike ride between 15 English football grounds to raise funds for a community charity in Burnley.
Steve Corrigan successfully completed the The Big Away Day Bike Ride in six days and raised £1,100 for Burnley FC in the Community – including £400 in matched funding from Leeds Building Society.
The charity will use these funds towards sports participation, education, health, social inclusion/cohesion and community facilities.
Corrigan and 11 fellow cyclists set off from West Ham United’s Upton Park ground and took in 15 English Premier League football grounds, including Old Trafford and Anfield, covering 470 miles.
The ride culminated at Hull FC’s KC Stadium for the game with Burnley, when the team of 12 were greeted on the pitch at half time by a standing ovation to celebrate their combined fundraising total of £15,000.
Corrigan said: “It was an enjoyable and inspirational experience, covering A and B roads against a backdrop of weather ranging from hot sunshine to torrential downpours.
“I am delighted to have raised over £1,000 in total, and would like to thank everyone who has sponsored me and Leeds Building Society for providing matched funding.”
Siobhan McNamara, partnerships and events executive at Burnley FC in the Community, added: “We’d like to thank Steve Corrigan and the team for their incredible efforts with The Big Away Day Bike Ride – we’ve been completely overwhelmed by their support for our charity and cannot thank them enough for getting involved.
“We know all their efforts have not only raised fantastic funds for our work but have also helped so much in spreading the word about what we’re doing here in Burnley and the local area. We hope they have enjoyed every minute. We certainly feel their half time standing ovation at the last home game was more than deserved.”