Chief Executive In The Saddle

Linda Plowright, Chief Executive of Sports Leaders UK, the national MK-based sport charity, will join the Extra Mile Challenge cycle relay through France in September as part of the Heald Solicitors’ team ‘WellHeald'. Linda describes herself as a ‘non-cyclist’, her major achievement before training for this challenge being that she managed to fall off her bike! Notwithstanding this shaky – in all ways – start to a cycling career, She has been in training with her trusty training partner, Sports Leaders UK Quality Assurance Manager, Carolyn Cant. This has found them on the road twice a week throughout the summer, cycling to Sports Leaders UKs’ Linford Wood office from Linda’s home in Leighton Buzzard. Her cycle team leader is Nick Crook, a partner in Heald Solicitors, and legal advisor to Sports Leaders UK. The Heald team of four is completed by Alex Gamberini, of Entropie and Esther Marchant of Heald, and will aim to generate at least £2,000 sponsorship for the organisers’ three charities, MK Snap, Prostate Cancer and the RNLI. Local donations will also go to the PSP Association and Sports Leaders UK. Sports Leaders UK was one of the beneficiaries of the Heald team’s entry to the 500-mile Challenge last year: “So there was just a little bit of friendly pressure for me to get in the saddle and raise money for other good causes in Milton Keynes and nationally”, Linda said. “I’m delighted to be able to return the support we received which helped us fund free community sports leadership courses in our home city”. Those who remember that Linda ran the London Marathon in 2007 will know her as a keen jogger. However, she assures us that as far as she can feel there is no positive transfer apart from extraordinarily sore legs, neck and saddle sore, and she still can’t corner, change gear and signal at the same time! She is hoping France will be traffic free – and that other road users are good at guessing which direction she is going to take off in! Staff at Sports Leaders UK are supporting Linda’s entry with a range of activities including Smarties tubes full of change. More conventionally, support can be pledged at www.justgiving.com/wellheald August 2009 Photograph available for this story. Sports Leaders UK Public Relations Martin Cannon T: 01908 689212 E: media@sportsleaders.org