Northamptonshire inspector cycles his way to success after taking on Tour de France longest stage virtually for charity

An Inspector from Northamptonshire Police hasn’t let lockdown get in his way of fundraising for a charity close to his heart.

As an avid cycling enthusiast, Inspector Colin Irving, who is the Force’s Training Manager, joined those taking part in the Tour de France yesterday (September 10) during their longest stage – hundreds of miles away on a static cycle trainer in the Force’s Northampton Training Hub, Giffard House.

The longest stage of the Tour de France extends 218km, or 135 miles, which Inspector Irving completed within the same time as it would take an officer to complete an early shift - eight hours.

Colin completed this challenge in a bid to reach a fundraising target of £600 for two charities close to his heart: Police Care UK, a charity focussed on supporting serving and veteran police officers and staff, volunteers, and their families who have suffered any physical or psychological harm as a result of policing, as well as Same You, a charity recently set up by actress Emilia Clarke which seeks to raise funds and help increase neuro-rehabilitation access after brain injury and strokes.

After nine litres of water, five t-shirt changes and two sore legs, Colin successfully raised more than £1,100 which will go a long way in supporting the vital work of these two charities.

Colin said: “Fundraising for Same You is important to me because both my family and I have battled the consequences of brain injury. We are painfully aware of how difficult it is for people with Acquired Brain Injuries (ABIs) to recover and rebuild their lives after they leave hospital and how much support is needed. ABI is an injury caused to the brain after birth, which include strokes, tumours, concussions and accidents.

“The current pandemic has unavoidably curtailed the fundraising events of all charities, costing fantastic and worthy causes millions of pounds in lost funding. I was inspired to make a contribution to help these causes through these unprecedented times.

“I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who donated and shared positive messages to keep me motivated and smash my fundraising total. It was gruelling, but I managed to complete the stint ahead of my eight hour target in 7hrs 14mins – which I’m very proud of!”

If you would like to congratulate Colin and contribute towards his fundraising total, you can do so via his fundraising page here.