Holkham cyclist raises £1,606 with virtual ride across America

A cyclist from Holkham has raised £1,606 for Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital after completing a virtual cycle across America.

Ben Hunter-Watts, 42, managing director at the Holkham Estate, was inspired to take on the challenge after the pandemic forced the closure of the Estate's inn, The Victoria.

He covered a distance of over 3,000 miles, with 175,000ft of climbing during the 28 days of lockdown on an indoor turbo trainer.

He said: "I do a lot of triathlons and long-distance training, but you never know what to expect with a challenge like this. In my second week, I had some of my best ever rides, it just shows you how quickly your body adapts.

"It's been a welcome distraction and it's been lovely to get other people involved. Alongside my challenge, we did a wellness event for staff on the Estate using an app. Everyone was really motivated and sharing their progress. I'm also a member of TriHarman - Norfolk Triathlon Club and they also joined me on the cycle although they did it a bit faster with over 40 members."

Mr Hunter-Watts plans to split the proceeds between two causes close to his heart.

He is donating to Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital after previously supporting them during the summer by working with staff at the Holkham Estate to provide staff meals.

"2020 has been a tough year for many of us. Personally, I had a difficult time losing my Dad, who was cared for extremely well during his final days at the QEH in Lynn," said Ben.

The kitchen at The Victoria Inn created over 12,000 meals for both QEH staff, suppliers and furloughed staff at the estate during the first lockdown.

After colleague and fellow triathlete Sam Proctor completed a minute cycle for every meal created by staff for charity during the first lockdown, Ben was inspired to take on his own cycle challenge.

Caroline Shaw, chief executive at Lynn's QEH, said: “On behalf of all of us at Team QEH, we’d like to say a huge thank you to Ben for his amazing efforts fundraising for our charitable fund and Hospitality Action. Ben and the team at The Victoria Inn have been absolutely amazing to us this year – we can’t thank them enough for their support through a turbulent 2020.”

He will also be donating to Hospitality Action which has supported many people from the hospitality sector affected by loss of income during the pandemic with financial grants as well as providing advice and support to them.

He said: "The importance of the work they do really hit home with me in the wake of the first wave of COVID infections as managing a hotel in the hospitality sector I was faced with the unenviable task of restructuring our business following a significant reduction in trading.

"This restructure led to 10 redundancies from our team, unfortunately a theme seen up and down the country and one that looks likely to continue with the impact of continued restrictions on the hospitality sector."

Mr Hunter-Watts said: "It’s fair to say I struggled at times and undoubtedly end the year considerably less fit, and a few pounds heavier than I was when we went into lockdown back in March, but I’ve got a couple of weeks of decent training under my belt and feel so much better physically and mentally for it. Please donate if you can and if not, get out and exercise, you won’t regret it!"

You can donate to support Ben here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BenHunterWatts