The money raised will be split between three charities important to Adam – Matthew Good Foundation, Sailors’ Children’s Society and Leeds hospital charity.
In July this year, Adam Walsh – CEO of the John Good Group – completed an ambitious 212-mile cycle ride for charity. Starting at the Severn Bridge in Gloucestershire, the ride spanned seven English counties and 212 miles, ending up in Adam’s home county of East Yorkshire at the Humber Bridge.
Taking 20 hours to complete, Adam watched the sun rise over the River Severn as he set off in the very early hours of the morning, before riding across the country to watch the sun set on the other side over the river Humber at the end of a very long day!
Adam’s mission was to raise money for three charities that are important to him, Matthew Good Foundation, Sailors Children’s Society and Leeds Hospitals Charity.
The Matthew Good Foundation will use one third of the funds raised to amplify small, high impact and high potential charities through their Amplify Charity Grants and Amplify Charity Films. As a member of the Foundation, Adam sees the effectiveness of the grants first hand and holds strong regard for the impact it makes on communities the John Good Group operates in.
The Sailors’ Children’s Society is an organisation dedicated to offering continuous assistance to children whose parents are employed in the maritime industry and facing distressing circumstances, such as the loss of a loved one, terminal illness diagnosis or marital relationship breakdown. The Hull-based charity holds great significance to Adam as it provides essential aid to the families within the industries operated in by the John Good Group.
Finally, Leeds Hospitals Charity is an organisation that Adam is proud to support after the hospital played a key role in his personal life. Adam is father to twins Ella and Grace, who were born prematurely at 32 weeks, with the Neonatal Unit at St. James’s Hospital playing a vital role in the first two weeks of their lives.
“This one was a big challenge for me. I’ve done several endurance events over the years, but this one was a step up from anything I’d done before. I’d completed more than 2,500 miles of training in 2023 on the run up to the event, but you never quite know you’re ready for an event like this, until you do it. But all that training paid off. The ride went smoothly, weather was good, and thankfully, no punctures!
It was a long day in the saddle, 14 hours of riding and just under 18 hours in total, when you factor in breaks. I was ably supported on the ride by long-time friend Barry Grier, who played the supporting role in the van perfectly, keeping me fuelled and hydrated well.
I must admit I was glad to see the Humber Bridge appear on the horizon and to then see several colleagues at the finish line was the cherry on the cake. We arrived at sunset, which was a lovely way to end the challenge.
Looking back, I’m really pleased with the whole event, but most of all the amount of money we’ve been able to raise for three amazing charities. Each is very special in in its own way, and I’m delighted that a few hours of effort from me, can make go towards helping to make an impact via their amazing work.”
Adam Walsh, CEO – John Good Group
‘As a result of the cycle ride, Adam raised donations of £5,500. Plus, as a member of the Matthew Good Foundation – he was also entitled to have his fundraising matched with a Double Match from the John Good Group’s employee giving programme – adding a further £2000 to be shared between the Sailors’ Children’s Society and Leeds Hospital charity. With the gift aid added from the public donations, this brought Adam’s final total to £8346, with £3,115 going directly to the Sailors’ Children’s Society and £3,115 going to Leeds Hospital Charity.
Following this amazing result, Adam met with Natasha Barley, CEO of the Sailors’ Children’s Society to learn how the funds they received will make in impact on local children, and present them with a cheque.
“I’d like to express our gratitude to Adam for completing this incredible challenge. He raised a huge amount of much needed funding for three amazing charities including Sailors’ Children’s Society.
The support we have received will help us provide much needed respite breaks to our families. These breaks (in our nine caravans in England and Wales) allow our families to spend time together making some happy memories when times are very challenging. For some of our families it will be their last holiday together as someone in their family is terminally ill.
All our families are experiencing financial hardship making even some of life’s necessities difficult to afford. Our monthly hardship grants help to provide children of seafarers with support like food, school uniforms and cold winter clothing that they would otherwise go without.
We can’t do our work without the help of amazing people like Adam taking on epic fundraising challenges. A big thank you from myself our trustees and most importantly the children you’ve helped.”
Natasha Barley, CEO – Sailors’ Children’s Society