Local submariners prepare for charity cycle challenge

By Ron Gordon

FOUR VETERANS from the Gosport Branch of the Submariners Association are preparing for a tough challenge later this month, which will see them cycle the ‘South Downs Way’ in hope of raising money for the Veterans Outreach Support (VOS).

The group will complete this challenge over three days between April 17-19 and are set to travel for approximately one hundred miles from Winchester to Eastbourne. They will be joined by three colleagues on their trip, who are all Association Members of the Branch.

This route will feature rough terrains, difficult slopes, and potentially unpleasant weather conditions for cycling alongside other elements; which include the physical and mental nature. The four Submariners have a combined age of 311 and their colleagues are 204 years old when added together.

Their charity of choice is the VOS and this has been supported by the Gosport Branch Chairman due to its association with the town; which is recorded as having the highest percentage of veterans in the country (according to the 2021 Census).

The charity offers welfare, wellbeing, and clinical provision to UK Armed Forces & Merchant Navy Veterans; as well as their spouses and partners. It was founded in 2008 as a peer support group after the pilgrimage to mark twenty-five years since the Falklands and has recently marked its fifteenth year in existence; becoming a registered charity in 2013.

Readers are invited to offer their donations to this cause via this JustGiving link, which has already raised over £1,700 thus far (correct at 8pm on 05/04/2024). They are also invited to explore the route being taken and details on the ‘South Downs Way’ here.

PICTURED BY RON GORDON: These four veterans will cycle the route from Winchester to Eastbourne later this month; raising money for the Veterans Outreach Support charity.