A musician is taking on an epic journey to help boost the funds of a ‘wonderful’ York charity.
Chris Bartram, formerly a senior lecturer on the community music course at York St John University, is now a trustee at Musical Connections.
It runs participatory music sessions and projects for older, isolated and vulnerable people in care and community settings across York.
Now Chris has embarked on a major cycling challenge to boost the funds at Musical Connections.
He told YorkMix that’s music’s “been my whole life”, and he got on board with the charity when his friend Fiona Chapman founded it 15 years ago.
“Musical Connections is just a wonderful example of how music should be used with people,” he said.
“Their practical workshops, getting people involved, playing instruments, singing, using music as a vehicle to cheer people up – Musical Connections is one of the charities I’ve seen doing that as well as or better than other any in York.
“I’m very proud to be a trustee for them.”
Chris’s challenge will see him cycle 1,800 miles across Europe.
He said: “I’m going to be cycling down the west side of France to Nantes, east along the river Loire, all the way across to Basel in Switzerland.
“Then I’m going up to the top of the Alps, all the way down the River Rhine from source to sea through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France, Germany again and the Netherlands, and ending up in Rotterdam.
“And then a ferry back to Hull and cycle back to York.”
You can donate to Chris’s fundraising page here. And Chris will be giving updates on his remarkable ride on YorkMix Radio.