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Jonathan Imber

Manchester to London

Donate to Jonathan and help them hit their goal of £1000!

My Activity Tracking

5,422
mi

My target 220 mi

Please support my Ambitious challenge!

On Sunday 28 June 2026 I will ride 220 miles in a single day from Manchester to London. A test of endurance, a journey that demands everything, and gives back more.

I am taking on the Ambitious 220 Challenge to raise funds for Ambitious about Autism, the national charity standing with autistic children and young people.

Too often autistic young people are unheard, unsupported, or shut out of opportunities. That can change. Every mile and every turn of the pedals helps create a world where autistic children and young people are accepted for who they are and given the chance to realise their ambitions.

This is more than a ride. This has purpose.

If you can, please consider donating to my page and join me in standing with autistic children and young people. 

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

£518 + £58.75 GiftAid

My Goal

£1,000

Select amount to donate

£12
£28
£53
£
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All donations in GBP

My Achievements

Shared page

Self-donated

Added a profile pic

Added a blog post

Received 10 donations

25% fundraising target

50% fundraising target

Fundraising target reached

50% distance target reached

Challenge complete!

My Updates

My reason for riding

Sunday 4th Jan
Hello,
I've never trained for a physical challenge on the scale of Manchester-London, nor have I raised money for charity in this way before. So why this challenge? 
Well...I've always enjoyed cycling. I have fond memories of riding my Mum's steel single speed (with bottle dynamo) around south Manchester as a teenager 40-odd years ago - Withington, Didsbury, Burnage, Levenshulme, Longsight, Gorton and sometimes over to Chorlton and Trafford. I was a proper geek, so most weekends would involve studying, but some Saturdays I enjoyed cycling south, either via Stockport or out past the Airport, heading towards Alderley Edge, Knutsford, Buxton or Hartington. So the idea of cycling to London via the Peak District is tinged with nostalgia, freedom, adventure and horribly familiar aches.
More recently, my life has been touched by Autism, both personally and professionally. A wonderful member of my family is Autistic and has experienced enormous challenges throughout their education. Their overwhelmingly negative experience of the formal education "system" has left me saddened, angry and frustrated. Individual staff and practitioners were, for the most part, wonderful - but the wider system - that is, how individual parts fit (or don't fit) together to support Autistic children - appears to be broken and - without hyperbole - traumatising for some children. How can it be right that neurodivergent children and young people are so over-represented in the populations of permanently excluded children and those in the youth justice system (for example, see Day 2025 https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2025.2499788)? Surely these statistics point to an educational system that is failing our children on a massive scale.
I aim to channel some of my anger into a positive cause: raising money for Ambitious about Autism. I am pleased knowing that Ambitious can help fewer children suffer as a result of ignorance or bureaucratic and educational inertia. My desire to support Ambitious aligns with my professional decision to retrain as a Child Psychotherapist, working with neurodivergent (and other) children in primary, secondary and post-16 educational settings in northern England. I find this work hugely rewarding and worthwhile. But working with individual children and young people is only one (albeit very important) part of the puzzle. The other part is bringing about positive, systemic change, which is why supporting Ambitious about Autism is so close to my heart.
Thanks for reading and I hope you may be able to support Ambitious about Autism through sponsoring my ride.
Best wishes,
Jonny

Thank you to my Sponsors

£100

Mary And Alan Lapworth

Good luck and a following wind!

£100

Toby Butler

Gooooood luck when times get tough remember everyone is routing for you and your doing rick and Arlo especially proud good luck gain

£30

Fiona Shenton

Hi Jonathan, my grown up son is autistic and doing ok. It's very important to him and the rest of the family that he's accepted for who he is, nothing more and nothing less. Thanks for doing this challenge, 70 miles on a static trainer shows massive commitment, hope the ice doesn't last too long!

£30

Shakuntala Lourdes Beadle

Good Luck on your cycling journey from Manchester to London

£28

Jack & Laura

Wishing you all the best,

£28

Jonathan Imber

£20

Simon Longstaff

Good luck

£20

Anonymous

£20

Anita Staples

it is a great cause. Good luck Jonathan!

£20

Trish

We will be cheering you on every peddle of the way! Epic challenge, see you in London!

£20

Sue Parkins

Good luck

£20

Andrew

Bless your heart Jonny!

£12

Joanne Watson

Good luck!!

£10

Anonymous

£10

Katherine Pearson

Good luck great cause

£10

Elaina

£10

Laura P

Good luck!

£10

Bex Morrison

Delighted to support such a worthy ride and cause :)

£5

Tristan Cooper

Best wishes and big respect.

£5

Susanne Smith

Good luck and well done

£5

Kay Lavery

Wishing you all the best Jonny!

£5

Hannah Blanckley

Inspirational Jonny, good luck!