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“I’m quite excited!”
said
Colin North
when I met him at the Provincial Grand Lodge meeting in April. “I’ve never done anything like it before.”
Colin is Charity Steward in Septem Lodge No.7788 in Dover. He is also Managing Director of Bourne to Garden, a company specializing in Grounds maintenance for individuals and for industrial, sports and community areas.
Having turned fifty, Colin (pictured above) was on the lookout for a mid-life challenge. His late father-in-law Mike Prout had served some forty-odd years in Septem Lodge before passing with Motor Neurone Disease in 2013, and Colin was looking for a novel way to pay tribute to him and to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and other charities.
“As I own a company that used tractors and mowers all day long maintaining holiday parks, sports fields, community areas, schools and colleges across the South East, I did some research on mower challenges and discovered the current Guinness Book of World Records holder for this challenge covered an 874-mile route in 2017 in five days, eight hours and thirty-six minutes with an average speed of 9 mph. This seemed a perfect fit – and “Bourne to Ride” was born!”
Travelling at a maximum of 12 mph, for up to twenty hours per day, Colin will be driving an Izeki ride-on mower from Lands End to John O’ Groats. They will be setting out on Monday 27th June and are aiming to reach their destination by Friday 1st July. Rob Hindson will be driving a support van – or “race van”, as Colin calls it, in which Colin hopes to get a bit of kip while backup driver Connor Langley, aged 25, takes the wheel.
Aiming to Raise £30,000
Colin and his team are aiming to raise £30,000 “but are hoping for more”. They will be splitting the monies raised between three charities: the MNDA, the Kenward Trust (Kent’s leading Alcohol & Drug Rehabilitation Centre based at Yalding) and the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF).
Last year the MCF donated £21.5 million to people in need as well as donating over £51 million to charitable organisations. They have adapted and developed their range of support to help the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society during the pandemic.
To supply proof for the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt, the lawnmower will be fitted with a tracking system from Izeki Operations Centre who are able to track Colin’s entire journey via software. The resulting data is the proof needed to verify Colin’s route and travelling time as a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS success.
In addition, members of the public will be asked to complete a log, stating the time, date and observation location. The whole journey will also be streamed live online, details for the live link will be published nearer the date on www.bournetogarden.com
To donate, please either go to gofundme.com and search for Bourne to Ride or click on https://gofund.me/2e8249e6
or point your smartphone at the QR Code below:
I am sure that everyone in the Province of East Kent, wishes Colin and his team every success and a safe journey, we look forward to seeing the photos and updates.
GOOD LUCK ALL
