Boxer Kerry Davis raises £6,000 in 450-mile charity bike ride
GB Boxing’s Kerry Davis led a fundraising challenge to support her close friend who has MS (multiple sclerosis), raising £6,000 to help him buy a new electric wheelchair.
Taking part in a 450-mile watt bike challenge alongside GB Boxing team mates, support staff and even members of the Team Australia women’s boxing squad, Kerry wanted to give back to her friend, Knox White, who has been a close support during her boxing career.
Kerry explained: “He is an inspiring person, as soon as you meet him, you just know what a great guy he is. He helps so many people but he doesn’t get a lot back himself.
“He’s been in a wheelchair for about seven years but he now needs an electric wheelchair to help him get around, because he can’t really leave the house at the moment without someone there to help him.
“The chair costs around £5,000 so I originally hoped we might raise around £2,000-3,000. He [Knox] couldn’t believe it when I told him he had enough for the chair, I think he was overwhelmed.”
The 450 miles was achieved by 30 different athletes and staff and is the equivalent distance from GB Boxing’s base at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) in Sheffield, to Paris, host city of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Kerry was supported throughout the challenge by her EIS Performance Lifestyle Advisor, James Hooper, who helped her to set up a JustGiving fundraising page and even cycled 10 miles himself.
James, along with the wider EIS Performance Lifestyle Team, has been encouraging athletes to pursue interests, hobbies and passions away from their sport as part of the EIS #More2Me campaign that helps athletes develop a better balance between sport and life.
Kerry said: “The sport we’re in, it’s not just a sport, it’s your whole life so it’s important to have other interests as well. I’m passionate about helping other people and animals, so James recently helped me to apply to an animal shelter in Sheffield to do some volunteering.”
James added: “We were all really proud of Kerry for committing to this challenge and making such a success of it. It is so important for athletes to stay connected to the outside world and maintain other interests, which is why we are passionate about the #More2Me campaign.
“I hope that Kerry’s fundraising achievement and her appetite to explore volunteering roles alongside her training can be an inspiration to others.”
With her challenge completed, Kerry and other members of the GB Boxing Team will now be focused on a big year ahead, with World, European and Commonwealth Games on the horizon in 2022.
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