Exeter School on a mission for charity

After 18 months in the planning, Exeter School pupils, parents, staff, friends and alumni are putting their best wheel forward to raise £50,000 for charity, departing from Land’s End on Monday 8 August.

The team of twenty riders supported by eight crew, two minibuses, and a trailer will cycle 912.9 miles and 46,929 vertical feet over ten days to raise money for the Children’s Society and The Janine Di-Vincenzo Foundation.

Estates and Facilities Manager Craig Stewart has organised the ambitious cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

“After many conversations with colleagues over lunch in the Exeter School dining hall, I managed to talk myself into taking part in a LEJOG charity cycle ride, or better still, organising one myself,” said Craig.

“From there it evolved and I started to put feelers out and discovered that a number of school staff, pupils, parents, friends and alumni of Exeter School were also enthusiastic cyclists and very keen to join in.

“Having gained the support of the Headmaster and the Bursar I selected two charities to equally support.”

The Children’s Society are a national charity who run local projects, helping children and young people when they are at their most vulnerable and have nowhere left to turn.

The Janine Di-Vincenzo Foundation is a recently created charitable foundation started by the Di-Vincenzo family following the loss of Janine through cancer. The foundation aims to provide financial support to families who otherwise would not be able to pay for advice and help from pioneering specialists. The success of these treatments allows the family to have more time together.

In a bid to ensure as much money goes to charity as possible, Craig had the brainwave of asking schools along the route to provide accommodation for the Exeter School cycling team and crew.

Mount Kelly School, Queen’s College School, Monmouth School, Ellesmere College, Sedbergh School and Lomond School have all generously agreed to support the worthy cause.

“It is very important to me that as much money as possible goes to the charities and I didn’t want external event organisers to be involved and drain the pot unnecessarily,” explained Craig.

“This meant that I had to research and plan the route, find accommodation, and provide support to the riders. I struck on the idea that I might get accommodation from other independent schools en route. This has been a huge success as I have now been offered accommodation from six schools to whom we are very grateful.

“Additional accommodation is being provided by the YHA at Land’s End, The Manor Adventure Centre, Lockerbie and the SYHA at Fort William and Inverness with the cost of the additional accommodation covered by Marsh Barton Security Services (MBSS).”

The team is made up of Craig and his son Oscar, pupils Lexie, Max and Luca Di Vincenzo and Alf Raynor, school staff Joe Lapenna, Rachel Currie, Matt Saunders, Becci Carter, Ed Jones, Graham Skinner and Sue Marks, alumna Amy Marks, parents Marcus Di Vincenzo, Nick Scott and Roger Cole, and friends Nigel Dart, Tias Spohr, John Bater, Graeme Scott and Tom Webber. They are supported by staff members Lisa Stewart, Ali Marsh, the Bursar Richard Hawkins parent David Raynor and Roy O’Shaughnessy.

Father of three Marcus Di Vincenzo and Janine’s husband said Janine Di-Vincenzo passed away after a 3-year battle against breast cancer in October 2015.

“Janine was a devoted mother to Alexa, Max and Luca and left a major mark on the lives of her three children and in truth; she was alive for two years longer than anyone first thought. In a child’s life two years is a long time. Those two years were given to her by the family’s ability to pay for second opinions, regular scans and when it came to it expensive treatments.

“The Janine Di-Vincenzo Foundation was set up by her family and three children to fund advice and treatments that are not available on the NHS. The Foundation operates for parents with children under the age of 18 years old. Through funding pioneering advice and treatment, we are able to give more time to each family, allowing them to create lasting memories.

“The Foundation is run by volunteers and has zero overheads as it is supported by the family-run business. The first campaign will be the Land’s End to John O’Groats cycle challenge, in order to raise £100k which will be shared equally with The Children’s Society.”

The intrepid cyclists depart on 8 August covering North Cornwall, Dartmoor, Cheddar Gorge, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the Wye Valley, Shap and Beattock Summits, the beautiful West of Scotland, Glencoe and the Great Glen on up the east coast of Scotland to John O’Groats, without the aid of ferries, and most importantly will always start and finish at their overnight accommodation.

The target of £50,000 is ambitious and the LEJOG cycling team are very grateful for the support they have already received.

“Thanks to Marsh Barton Security Services (MBSS) who have paid for all our accommodation where needed, Sodexo, Greendale Farm Shop and Metadigm who are providing our cycling jerseys and support kit,” said Craig.

“We would like to thank all our many donors so far for their fantastic support and generosity.”

Anyone who wishes to sponsor the team should contact Craig Stewart via CAS@exeterschool.org.uk.

Donations can be made via the Virgin Money Giving site or directly to Exeter School: