RAF Spitfires complete gruelling 500-mile charity cycle

The RAF Spitfires Rugby 7s team will tomorrow cycle through the iconic Lion Gate of Twickenham‘s West Stand to mark the end of an epic charity bike ride from Glasgow to London.
The Spitfires, who are made up of RAF servicemen, set off from Scotstoun Stadium last weekend, during the Scottish leg of the IRB Sevens World Series, and will finish at the home of English rugby tomorrow in time for the final round of the Series, the Marriott London Sevens. Having covered a distance of over 500 miles, their ultimate goal is to raise £10,000 for Khelo Rugby and the RAF Benevolent Fund in the process.
Khelo Rugby is a tag rugby project for disadvantaged children in India and the Spitfires have been involved in coaching children in the slums of Calcutta for over 18 months. Khelo, which is helping grass roots rugby in developing rugby nations, is expanding within India and other countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Vietnam. The founder of Khelo rugby and Afghanistan 7s coach, Zaffar Khan, joined the RAF Spitfires on the ride.
The RAF Benevolent Fund, which raises money to help RAF personnel and their families in times of need, is also a charity close to the RAF’s heart.  Their recent projects include funding for youth workers and play parks on numerous RAF stations across the UK through the Airplay scheme.
Leading rugby brand Canterbury have supplied kit to the Spitfires for a number of years and the squad have worn an array of rugby jerseys past and present during the course of the ride.
Among these is the newly launched 2013 jersey, which takes its design directly from the classic spitfire markings. The sleeves possess the sky blue underside of the wing as well as the distinctive black and white stripes, while the vintage yellow is taken from the iconic propeller blade tips.
Spitfires Team Manager Flight Lieutenant Nick Monahan, a Puma pilot currently based at RAF Benson, commented: “We’re immensely proud to have come so far on what has been a fun but demanding adventure.
“The thought of taking to the famous Twickenham turf in front of so many passionate rugby fans is spurring us on to complete the final leg tomorrow. We would now love for rugby fans to get behind the brilliant charities that we’re representing, so they can continue the amazing work they do.”
More details on the team can be found here and their fundraising page here.
Donations can also be made by texting RAFS77 £5 (between £1 and £10) to 70070.
The new RAF Rugby 7s Spitfires jersey is now available to buy from the Canterbury website and £5 from each sale will go to the charities supported by the RAF.
Follow the Spitfires Stadium Cycle on: www.facebook.com/canterbury, @canterburyNZ, @rafrugby7s