Southam cyclists rode to the four points of the Warwickshire diamond

David Hudson and Philip Clarke set out on Saturday to ride 160 miles around the historic boundary of Warwickshire to help raise £65,000 for urgent repairs to the roof of Southam’s Congregational church.

They nearly made it, but it was not flooding that meant they fell short - although there was a detour and one torrential downpour - but an injured knee that cut the ride short at 132 miles.

The ride was the idea of the church’s secretary Mr Hudson, who was looking for a genuine challenge.

He said: “The old map of Warwickshire – before Coventry and the West Midlands took a big bite out of it – had an outline which closely resembled a diamond. This gave us the idea of a bike ride, both to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee and to raise money to support our church.”

Setting off as dawn was breaking 4am, the pair visited the most easterly, northerly, westerly and southerly points in the county.

Mr Hudson, 65, a former Leamington C&AC rider, trained with 20lb of bricks in his rucksack, while for Mr Clarke, who started training while he was unemployed, getting a job was a mixed blessing as it reduced the hours he could spend in the saddle.

Mr Hudson started with a swollen knee, and had to call a halt to proceedings with 28 miles to go. He said: “I had to apologise for not talking very much. It was a case of concentrating on keeping the pedals going round, looking out for potholes and focusing on the next hill.”

A member of the church’s building committee, Mr Hudson knows how important the repairs are to the landmark Wood Street building.

Built in 1839 and a Grade II listed building, its front wall is leaning out, leaving a two-inch gap between the roof and the wall, while dentils - decorative brickwork around the roof - also need fixing in place.

And in a reminder that even churches did not escape Victorian practices, the church’s roof hatch was designed for a Victorian child, not a 21st century adult.

Call 812695 or visit the church website to sponsor Mr Hudson or Mr Clarke.

http://www.southamcongregationalchurch.org.uk/