In October, RAF Nursing Officer Flight Lieutenant Ashleigh Lowther will take on a seven-day, 400km cycling challenge through Vietnam and Cambodia in support of the RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF’s longest-standing charity, after receiving support from the Fund herself during a difficult period.
For Flight Lieutenant Ashleigh Lowther, this challenge is more than an endurance test. It is an opportunity to support the charity that was there for her when she needed it most.
Ashleigh, 41, will set off from her Portsmouth home at the end of October, joining four friends and a wider group of riders on the seven-day challenge, to raise funds and awareness for the Fund.
Having first joined the RAF in 2003, Ashleigh served for ten years before leaving to work in A&E within the NHS. After 13 years away from Service life, she rejoined the RAF at the age of 40 and now serves as a Flight Lieutenant.
The challenge holds particular significance for Ashleigh because she has experienced the Fund’s support first-hand. During a difficult period while working in the NHS, she turned to the Fund for help.
Explaining why she chose to take on the challenge, Ashleigh said:
“During a rough spot while I was working in the NHS, the Fund helped me immensely. I want to highlight how amazing the charity is and give something back.”
The idea for the challenge came from a friend who persuaded the group to sign up. While she admits she may have a different perspective after seven days in the saddle, Ashleigh is looking forward to the experience and the sense of achievement that comes with completing it and, of course, the food!
She has already begun fundraising and hopes to build support in the weeks leading up to her departure. Throughout the challenge she plans to share regular video updates from the road, documenting both the highs and the lows of the journey while raising awareness of the Fund’s work.
Having benefited from the charity’s support herself, Ashleigh is keen to encourage others to get behind the campaign.
She said:
“I’d really love people to get behind me. Every donation will help the Fund be there for someone else when they need it, just as it was there for me.”
People can support Ashleigh’s fundraising efforts via her JustGiving page.
