A Derbyshire secondary school teacher is taking on the biggest physical challenge of his life with the gruelling Land’s End to John O’Groats bike ride in aid of a valued charity giving youngsters a break.
Dad Peter Ennis, 55, an English teacher at Friesland School in Sandiacre, has begun the famously challenging solo ride across the length of Britain in aid of the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, based in Skegness.
Peter is taking on the epic 1,150 miles and daunting 47,000 feet of ascents over 13 days, supported by his family who are travelling up the country with him.
He said he was inspired to raise money for the charity after seeing the centre’s base in Skegness and discovering it was pausing operations this year to raise much-needed funds for 2026.
Not just that, Peter said his work as a teacher meant he could see first hand the impact that a charity like the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre has on thousands of young lives in the county.
Having started in 1891, the holiday centre is a charity providing breaks to children from the county who might otherwise not get one, whether for financial or other reasons such as caring for relatives. It provides hundreds of children with free holidays each year.
Peter said: “The Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre is a place that does a tremendous amount of good.
“It gives children a break and a chance to build friendships and confidence. As a teacher I have seen first hand the impact that confidence can have – it’s really vital.”
Taking on the mammoth challenge is an even greater task for Peter who “grew up with a chopper” but confessed he had not ridden a bike seriously until around 18 months ago, and went through around 30 years without even owning one.
At 55 it is no mean feat but he has been training for the past few months to prove to himself and his family that anything is possible and big challenges can be taken on at any time of life.
He said: “Part of the reason I’m doing this is to show my daughter and her friends and all kids to never give up, and that anything is possible.”
Now a member of Ilkeston Cycling Club, Peter has been commuting to work daily and taking on rides in the Peak District in order to train for the biggest physical challenge of his life.
He has already smashed through his first £1,000 and is aiming to raise as much as possible so that more Derbyshire children can enjoy a week’s break in Skegness when the charity is able to re-open.
Peter said the ride was going well so far and he is concentrating on racking up around 90 miles a day in order to complete the ride within a fortnight’s time frame.
This is not Peter’s first effort in support of the charity.
On May 17 he joined around 100 cyclists in the ‘Cosy Bike & Hike’ – taking on the 107 mile distance from Derby Arena to the holiday centre in Skegness in aid of the holiday centre and Derby Kids’ Camp.
Charity chief executive officer Janine Holmes said: “Everyone at the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre is blown away by Peter’s efforts in cycling the length of the country for us.
“It’s a huge undertaking and we are very grateful that he is taking this on for us. We are all working very hard to come back bigger and stronger in 2026 and Peter’s bike ride is a vital cog in the wheel of our ongoing fundraising efforts. Thank you so much to Peter and if anyone can spare anything to donate to his bike ride, rest assured it will be well spent giving Derbyshire children a great break by the seaside.”
To donate to Peter’s ride, see www.justgiving.com/page/peter-ennis-1
For more information, email Lucy Stephens at Penguin PR on [email protected] or call her on 0771 983 9446.
