Leeds man cycles 100 miles on Christmas Day for charity instead of being with family

Adam Robinson lives on his own in Menston, Leeds and took up cycling as a hobby during the first national lockdown.

The 32-year-old had been touched by reading about the rise in domestic abuse incidents since the Covid lockdowns began and so wanted to put his hobby to use for charity.

Adam cycled 100 miles on Christmas Day for the Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS) charity, which is a specialist charity in Yorkshire supporting people affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Adam said: “I have been a DJ for 12 years so other than a temporary job at Asda, I haven’t been able to do much other than cycle through the pandemic.

“As Christmas came along I thought that with all the restrictions in place it would be good to something different.

“I normally spend the day with my family but doing that this year would have meant travelling 70 miles and because I have vulnerable family members, I didn’t want to take the risk.”

Adam began and finished in Menston, travelling to the Yorkshire Dales, through North Leeds and through Leeds city centre on his journey.

He added: “Reading about how much of an increase there has been in domestic abuse throughout lockdown bothered me and I felt like I should do something.

“So I put my aim of doing a 100 mile bike ride into practise and did something different on Christmas Day this year.”

Adam has so far raised £820 for IDAS, which has far exceeded his initial £100 target.

Adam said: “It’s good that I’ve had a hobby to get me through the rubbish of this year.

“And my hobby has meant I can do something good for charity too.

“If it weren’t for the pandemic I would never have got into cycling and I would never have done a charity cycle on Christmas Day.”

Donations to IDAS for Adam's cycle can be made here.