- RBL Charity Cycle Ride from Tidworth, Wiltshire, to Campoverde, Spain
Jonathan Knight served as a Master Tailor for over 24 years. On leaving the military he remained in the trade as he opened a business in the Wiltshire Garrison town of Tidworth.
The new tailoring company, Knights Tailors, enabled Jonathan to maintain his close links with the military, since which time he continues to be appalled at the amount of physical and mental illness that he sees, very nearly on a day to day basis, both amongst those who have left the services and those who are still serving, in the many units and garrisons that he continues to visit.
In recent years, as a former soldier he has supported many charities, both financially and in arranging fund-raising efforts himself, and now, in its centenary year, his energies have turned to The Royal British Legion.
Jonathan said, “The Legion has always been there to support the military and families and I can think of no better charity to support at this time”.
And his efforts will do exactly that, ten days of pure physical exertion as he attempts to make a journey of 1300 miles from Tidworth to Campoverde using only pedal power.
Jonathan’s journey will begin in the Wiltshire town where an official ‘send off’ is planned by the mayor and the Chairman of the local branch of the Royal British Legion. He will then ride to Portsmouth before taking the overnight ferry to Caen where he will be met by his continental support team, in the form of brother Mark, who will be driving a campervan.
Next stop will be the British and Commonwealth War cemetery in Normandy, where the pair will lay a wreath, after which the gruelling journey down through France and Spain, legs of approximately 140 miles per day, staying in campsites along the way.
Brother Mark said that the campervan, supplied at only a minimal cost by Furgo Casa Campervans in Murcia, will be an absolute godsend, as it will allow the pair to relax in the campsites in relative comfort.
On the penultimate day the overnight stop will be at Castalla International in Alicante where the pair will meet up with members of the Alicante branch of the RBL as they lay another wreath at the branch’s newly dedicated memorial.
On the following day the ride will culminate at Danny’s Bar and Grill in Pinar de Campoverde, where Jonathan and Mark will be met by members of the Orihuela Costa and District Branch of the RBL at an event to help celebrate the ride, and to hopefully raise more money for veterans and their families.
Donations can be made through a newly opened GoFundMe page where Jonathan has set himself a modest total of £2,000 which he hopes he can achieve, or even beat.
All costs of the ride, including the hire of the campervan and overnight site fees, are being met by Jonathan himself, so all monies raised will be split equally between the three branches concerned, in Tidworth, Alicante and Orihuela Costa.
The journey was originally meant to happen last year, but it was delayed because of Covid. At the time £350 had already been pledged, so the fundraiser is off to a very good start. But there are still many more £££’s and €€€’s still to be found by members of the general public so If you can help and you wish to donate to this most worthwhile cause you can do so at by searching for ‘bike ride to Spain’ at GoFundMe, or by going direct to the link https://gofund.me/67af35ab
