Theale boys raise more than £1,000 during 100-mile bike ride for Readifood

Max Putnam, 7, came up with the idea to cycle 100 miles in seven days with the hope of raising £100 for Readifood – a food bank which provides food parcels to those in need in Reading - together with his mum Amy.

The mother and son had volunteered with Readifood before Christmas last year and their fundraising page explained “Max wants to see everyone with food on their plates”.

READ ALSO: Four Reading properties you could rent including bars and a beauty salon.

Max’s friend Bertie Greenfield, also 7 years old, and his dad Chris decided to take on the challenge too - while adhering to social distancing rules – having been inspired by Max’s idea.

The furthest Max had ever cycled before this challenge was 20 miles as part of the Tour de Berkshire raising money for cystic fibrosis, last year.

Amy explained there were a “few tears” on day three of the ride as there were various hills to climb and Max fell off his bike.

Despite this, Amy added “all in all he loved every second”.

The mother and son have completed their bike riding challenge, and Bertie and his dad are just over halfway through having cycled 64 miles so far.

Chris said Bertie is “like a little Duracell bunny, just keeps going and going”.

Already, the pair have raised £1,159 at the time of writing – which is more than ten times what they had hoped for.

READ ALSO: Reading restaurants to visit for dinner after lockdown according to Tripadvisor.

Amy described the donations as “overwhelming” and said she has been showing Max the fundraising page when it’s updated adding he gets “so excited” knowing he is helping to feed families.

Chris added: “It’s amazing, we can’t believe it.”

He said Bertie is “really pleased there’s people who are going to get food who would otherwise miss out”.

Both added they are proud of their boys and what they have achieved.

If you would like to donate to the fundraising page, click here.