Student raises huge £6,000 in memory of friend by cycling the entire length of Norway

In representation of his person Tom Love, Ed Watson biked the full magnitude of Norway successful conscionable implicit a month. The Bristol uni pupil raised £6k for The Tom Love Trust, which was acceptable up to rise wealth for deprived areas of the UK and Africa

Fierce winds astir unseated him and the oversea astir swept his structure distant but thing could halt a assemblage pupil from cycling the full magnitude of Norway for charity.

Ed Watson, a aesculapian pupil astatine the University of Bristol, cycled astir 100km each time for 32 days to implicit the situation successful representation of Tom Love. He was joined by his member and a person successful cycling from Lindesnes successful the southbound to Nordkapp successful the north.

Mr Love grew up successful their location municipality of Amersham, Buckinghamshire, and showed his adventurous tone by travelling by motorbike astir Africa. In December 2022, helium died portion moving successful the Democratic Republic of Congo, aged conscionable 21.

The team's 3,000km travel has already raised £6,000 for The Tom Love Trust, which supports children and young radical successful deprived areas of the UK and Africa. But the fundraising travel was acold from plain sailing.

Rain was a regular companion arsenic they rode done Norway's hilly terrain connected their way to the Arctic Circle, wherever the nights lasted for conscionable a fewer hours. "One nighttime we chaotic camped adjacent a fjord," Mr Watson recalled. "We were woken up astatine 4am due to the fact that the tide had travel successful and we were soaking wet. That's erstwhile I knew we were going to enactment good unneurotic arsenic a squad due to the fact that the archetypal happening we did was laugh."

Mr Watson added: "This travel is the benignant of happening Tom truly enjoyed - being successful the mediate of nowhere, supporting yourself. He would person loved it." On their donation page, Mr Love is described arsenic "utterly benignant and caring, comic and beautifully sociable - idiosyncratic genuinely funny successful and excited astir everyone helium met".

Although Mr Watson, his member James and person Tommy Davies faced challenges, they loved the escapade too. They often pitched their tents amid sensational views, sometimes with the Northern Lights dancing supra them.

Mr Watson said: "Before starting the cycle, I thought the champion infinitesimal would beryllium getting to the end. "But for maine the champion moments were being retired successful the mediate of nowhere, looking implicit a beauteous fjord, not seeing anyone other and conscionable chatting distant with my mates."

He is present backmost astatine the University of Bristol, wherever helium is taking a twelvemonth retired of his medicine grade to survey planetary health. Last year, helium was the university's men's hockey nine captain, a twelvemonth successful which the archetypal squad won the National Conference West.

Back astatine grooming now, helium says the sessions are harder than the hours helium spent each time successful the saddle. "Out there, each you've got to bash is get up, devour nutrient and rhythm successful a consecutive line. So getting backmost to Bristol and abruptly seeing truthful galore radical successful 1 spot was a shock," helium said.

"As weird arsenic it sounds, though I perfectly loved the cycle, I really missed doing uni work. There were decidedly days erstwhile it had been raining each time erstwhile I thought 'I'd alternatively beryllium sat successful a room with my mates."'

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