Edinburgh Castle to take part in cycle event for bomb disposal personnel

Edinburgh Castle is set to host the beginning stage of a charity cycle ride that aims to raise money for serving and ex-bomb disposal personnel and their families.

The Tour de Troops, ‘The Castles‘, will start at Edinburgh Castle on June 5 next year and head to Cardiff castle via Windsor Castle, around 570 miles (917 km), as one of three endurance events in 2019.

The events takes place following the successful Tour de Troops 2018, which saw participants cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats in just five days – in support of the Felix Fund.

A special reception at Cardiff Castle will be held in the banqueting hall to celebrate completing the ride, and will include a performance from the Welsh Male Voice Choir, and a three-course dinner will be served.

The second challenge, The Soldier Pass Run, takes place on Saturday 12 October 2019, offers 5K, 10K, 21K, 42K and 100K routes. All the runs start and finish at Vauxhall Barracks in Didcot.

And the Victory Swim, The Channel, will be held from 13-19 September 2019, offering the challenge of a lifetime to cross the English Channel. It can be completed in a relay or as a solo swim. The Royal Navy will marshal the event and provide support boats.

The events are the brainchild of Capt. James Wadsworth. Wadsworth joined the army in 1995, working in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit and toured Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. He received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross in 2008.

Wadsworth said: “I’m passionate about fundraising for such an important and worthwhile cause as the Felix Fund. Having first-hand knowledge of what they do, I am keen to help them support and rehabilitate soldiers and their families, while raising the profile of their important bomb disposal work.

“These endurance events will stretch both military personnel and civilians to their limits”