A 91-year-old is to cycle through Wigan on a 500-mile charity bike ride
Wigan will be on the route of an amazing 500-mile bike marathon by 91-year-old Tony Newton in aid of Chorley’s youth zone
On Sunday May 10 at around 10.30am 91-year-old Tony Newton will begin his 500-mile big cycle challenge starting in Heskin, Chorley and travel with the members of his family to Wigan’s Brick Community Stadium on the first leg of an epic ride.
There younger members of the family will return home while other relatives and U3A friends will continue to Pennington Flash, Leigh.
Tony, 88-year-old wife Dorothy and daughter Ruth, 65, 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.
Among the crowd cheering him off will be young people from Chorley’s Inspire Youth Zone and members of the Green Team, local supporters and children from Heskin Pembertons CE School. David Tilson, a U3A group member will lead the party – lights flashing and horn sounding – on his Yamaha Tracer 900+ motorbike.
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 May 23.
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 five 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 Youth Zone regularly has over 1,000 visits each week from young people, many of whom face their own personal challenges.
The charity relies on community support to raise the £1.6m 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.”
Follow Tony’s epic challenge on Facebook
Tony Newton 2026 North England 500-mile cycle challenge
If you would like to support Tony and help him raise funds, please visit his just giving page
For more information on the work of Inspire Youth Zone, Chorley please visit https://www.inspireyouthzone.org/ or follow them on social media