Only 10 days to Tony Newton’s North England 500-mile plus cycle challenge at 91 years old

In addition, St James’s Place Plc will match fund every pound raised by Tony providing grants for even more charities helping children and young people.

Accompanied by family and friends, he will be setting off around 10.30 am on 10th May from the Spar Store in Heskin, Chorley, Lancashire heading towards Derbyshire as he starts his epic challenge. Amongst the crowd cheering him off will be young people from Inspire Youth Zone and members of the Green Team, local supporters and children from Heskin Pembertons C of E school.

Although Tony will do most of the challenge alone staying in small b&bs to get some rest, he will be accompanied at the start by his wife, Dorothy (88), daughter Ruth (65), grandaughter Hannah (42) and great grandsons, Moses (13) and Beau (11). Friends from Mawdesley U3A Cycling group will be joining them and David Tilson, another U3A group member will lead the party – lights flashing and horn sounding – on his Yamaha Tracer 900+ motorbike.

The younger members of the family will travel about 10 miles to the DW Stadium in Wigan; U3A friends will continue to Pennington Flash, Leigh and Tony, wife Dorothy and daughter Ruth will continue to their overnight stop near Sale Water Park and then on to his son’s farm at Glossop, Derbyshire.  From there Tony will be on his own as He heads off to the Pennines and Brotherton.

Using a mix of roads and cycle paths Tony will cross Yorkshire reaching the coast at Bridlington. From there he will head north through Scarborough and Whitby up to Newcastle and then across the Hadrian’s Wall coast to coast cycleway to Carlisle, returning South through Penrith, Shap, Lancaster and back to Heskin around 22nd May. The route is 523 miles with a staggering total climb of 30,748 feet.

Tony said, “cycling through the open countryside is the thing that has kept me going throughout my lifetime.  Every year for the past 15 years I have gone on a solo trek for a week or more in addition to the special challenges. I have been cycling since I was 5 when I got my first bike to cycle to school. I hope my efforts inspire others to stay active and support the good cause which is Inspire Youth Zone.

The Bill Ainscough Foundation will be supporting Tony’s ride by donating to Inspire Youth Zone.  Bill and Tony first met when Tony, a civil engineer, worked for Leonard Fairclough building bridges on the M6.  Bill, who became an architect, spent six months in the drawing office at Leonard Fairclough.  He used to cycle to Tony’s home in Heskin and then travel with him to work each day so got to know him well but over the years their lives took different paths.  In 2024 Bill heard about Tony’s Skye challenge and since then has supported his fund raising for Inspire.

Bill said, “Tony is an inspirational man and I am delighted to be able to help him, not just with funding for Inspire Youth Zone, but also behind the scenes.  I will be looking out for updates and cheering him along the way.”

The Youth Zone regularly has over 1000 visits each week from young people, many of whom face their own personal challenges. The charity relies on community support to raise the £1.6 million needed each year to keep their doors open.

Janine Blythe, CEO, Inspire Youth Zone, said, “What Tony is taking on at 91 years old is nothing short of extraordinary. His determination and generosity is truly inspiring and we are incredibly grateful that he has chosen to once again support Inspire Youth Zone.

Every mile he cycles and every pound he raises will help us be there for young people who need us most. In the last year alone, young people walked through our doors 61,444 times; we supported 3,404 individual young people, delivered 3,184 hours of youth work and provided 13,504 free meals. Behind every one of those figures is a young person who found somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to.

Every person who donates to support Tony is doing more than cheering him on. You are helping to level the playing field, open doors that should never have been closed and change the game for young people.

Tony is proving that age is no barrier to making a difference and we’ll be cheering him on every step of the way.”

Lisa Cousins, St James’s Place Charitable Foundation said, “Inspire Youth Zone does such important work for young people in Chorley — giving them opportunities, support, and a sense of belonging that can make a real difference in their lives. St James’s Place Foundation will also benefit as every pound raised by Tony will be matched by St James’s Place PLC to provide grants for more charities working with children and young people. Tony’s story is so uplifting, and I am sure that his determination and commitment to making a difference will inspire others to take action.”

 Follow Tony’s epic challenge on Facebook

 Tony Newton 2026 North England 500-mile cycle challenge

 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575419250296

 If you would like to support Tony and help him raise funds, please visit his just giving page

 https://www.justgiving.com/page/tony-newton-500-miles

 For more information on the work of Inspire Youth Zone, Chorley please visit https://www.inspireyouthzone.org/ or follow them on social media

 For information about St James’s Place Charitable Foundation, please visit

https://www.sjpfoundation.co.uk/