Charity challenge sees John take the chopper to work

A member of staff at Morrison Design has started riding to work on a vintage bicycle to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society.

John Robson, a senior architectural technician at the Derby firm, has started cycling his 15-mile Ashbourne to Derby commute on a Raleigh Chopper, which he has restored himself.

This year, he has embarked on the 2,024 Mile Challenge, in which he aims to ride, walk or run 2,024 miles during 2024.

This epic challenge is the equivalent of travelling from Morrison’s Darley Abbey Mills studio, through France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and finally ending in Istanbul.

He now hopes to eat up the miles on the Chopper.

John said: “A Raleigh Chopper is not exactly the bike you would choose to ride for a long distance, so 15 miles up and down hills on the way to work isn’t going to be easy!

“The 2,024 miles in 2024 challenge is relentless and takes huge amounts of continued effort, so the Raleigh Chopper commute is something I’ve been looking forward to, to break it up and have a bit of fun.”

John is raising money for Alzheimer’s Society, which is Morrison Design’s charity of the year.

He said: “I’m really pleased that the charity we’re supporting this year is Alzheimer’s Society.

“Both of my parents suffered with dementia and it’s an illness that not only took over their lives but the rest of the family too in terms of supporting them.

“What starts out as confusion with an everyday task soon becomes a need for constant care with everything.

“Thankfully, there are charities out there such as this one who can help and support you through this time.

“But they need donations to provide this service – last year I did the Trek26 for Alzheimer’s along with my sister and our family friend Bob who came over from America.

“This year I would like to go one better, so I’m cycling and running 2024 miles before the end of the year.”

To sponsor John’s challenge, visit his JustGiving page here https://www.justgiving.com/page/morrison-design-as .

The restored Chopper is also being auctioned to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society. To find out more visit Raleigh Chopper For Sale Mk3 With Mk2 Seat, 100% Proceeds To Alzheimer’s Society | eBay.