FREEMASONS will be getting on their bikes this bank holiday weekend to cycle 280 miles for charity around the 'perimeter' of the Yorkshire West Riding Masonic Province, calling at the Masonic hall in Penistone on the way.
Included in the 45-strong team is Barnsley mason John Hartshorne, who has been in training for the tough challenge for the past four months.
The aptly-named 'Provincial Perimeter Pedal' (PPP) will start on Saturday and ends on Monday.
It is a gruelling route with the cyclists climbing 7,000 feet on the first day, around 8,500 feet on the second, with a less arduous challenge on the last day.
Sponsorship money raised by the cyclists, from other Freemasons, will go towards the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI) Festival which has raised more than £1m in the past two years.
John said: "Freemasonry very much revolves around charity, so to combine a challenge like this with helping to raise money for good causes has helped us all to attract a significant amount of sponsorship, which will certainly inspire us as we tackle the route."
** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated August 22. **
