A businesswoman from Hurstbourne Tarrant who made PPE during lockdown is aiming to raise over £1,000 for charity by cycling 100 miles in a day.
Maria Wright, owner of The Cycling Seamstress, is planning to cycle 100 miles in a day across Berkshire and North Hampshire to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK at the end of October.
Maria says that she is supporting the charity because of the prevalence of that type of cancer amongst her friends and family.
Maria set up her business as The Cycling Seamstress 15 years ago, when she cycled around Hurstbourne Tarrant and its local villages to deliver her sewing to customers. At the time, she carried her Jack Russell/Patterdale cross dog Barney in her front basket as she did so.
A decade and a half later, she now cycles over 100 miles a week on a regular basis, and has unfortunately had to leave her new Welsh Terrier, Ella, behind, as the “terrain is far too much for her!”
Maria’s challenge came about as the result of lockdown, when a planned cycling holiday to the Isle of Wight was cancelled due to travel restrictions. She had been training by delivering her sewing further afield, while regularly training on Walbury Hill, the highest point in south east England.
Instead, she ended up cycling the length of the Isle of Wight with her cycling partner Jeremy Stafford-Smith through Hampshire and Berkshire, inspiring her next fundraising attempt.
Maria has a history of working for good causes, having been part of a production team that made scrubs and masks for the North Hampshire Medical Trust. She said that “it was important for me to put my skills to good use to help the wider community.”
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