Cycle alongside Sir Chris Hoy to raise money for homeless

Cyclists are being given the opportunity to ride alongside six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy to raise money for a charity tackling homelessness.

The Break the Cycle fundraising campaign on September 5 will see 1000 people cycling 60 miles from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

Each participant will be asked to raise £1000 in order to take part and contribute to the charity Social Bite’s overall fundraising target.

Social Bite started as a sandwich shop on Rose Street in Edinburgh in August 2012 but has since organised several high profile events in a bid to alleviate homelessness in Scotland and further afield.

Social Bite’s 2017 and 2018 Sleep in Park events in Scotland raised almost £8m and saw more than 18,000 people sleeping out.

The funds raised from the Break the Cycle campaign will help build Social Bite villages in the target cities of Glasgow and London – alongside the charity’s existing flagship village in the Granton area of Edinburgh.

Sir Chris Hoy said: “I have supported Social Bite by sleeping under the stars each year at their mass participation sleepout events for the last four years. I have seen the impact of the funds raised and I am passionate about supporting the bold approach to breaking the cycle of homelessness.

“I know times have been incredibly tough of late but I’d encourage everyone to get involved and help raise the funds needed for this extraordinary project and take on their own challenges over the coming weeks and months. I look forward to see those taking part at the starting line.”

All entrants will have the opportunity to win a range of prizes – from naming a house at one of the villages to winning a signed medal from Hoy.

As well as the physical event in September, the fundraising campaign is open to all levels of fitness and ability, with people across the UK invited to take part in their own virtual challenges from March to September.

Josh Littlejohn MBE, CEO and Co-Founder of Social Bite, said: “It’s an honour for us to have one of the country’s biggest sporting heroes support us in our effort to build two new villages for people in a situation of homelessness. Sir Chris has been an advocate of the work we do for some time and when we came up with the Break the Cycle concept, we knew there was only one person we wanted to partner with.

“We’re incredibly passionate about our plans for the Social Bite villages. Since opening the first one in Edinburgh, 39 people have been helped with a home and support through the project. Now that we have seen that the model is working, our ambition is to build more in cities across the country and I’m thrilled to announce that this is our intention in London and Glasgow.”

Ten percent of funds raised from the event will also be donated to SAMH, the Scottish Association for Mental Health.