What can you learn from 65 cycling hospitality professionals? It sounds like the setup to a bad joke, but it is actually a glimpse into a truly wonderful initiative now in its fourth year. Cycling and pubs may seem an unlikely pairing, yet last weekend saw the latest Pedalling to Pubs charity bike ride, an event supporting two charities doing vital work for our industry.
This year, 65 riders completed a 270km route through Norwich, Thetford and King’s Lynn, including both of us from John Gaunt & Partners. The event has grown steadily since its first year and is now a fixture in the hospitality calendar for three days of cycling for a good cause. While this is not a legal or regulatory update, we felt it was important to reflect on the experience and share some of the wider conversations that took place during the ride.
The beneficiaries of this year’s ride include the Licensed Trade Charity, which has supported people working in the sector for more than 200 years. From practical advice through to wellbeing support via its 24/7 helpline, it provides a vital lifeline in the sector. At a time of continued financial and emotional pressure across the industry, its role has never been more important.
The second charity, Only A Pavement Away, connects hospitality employers with people facing barriers to employment, including those experiencing homelessness, prison leavers and veterans. It helps individuals build sustainable careers in hospitality while supporting operators to access motivated people who can strengthen their teams. It also provides practical support around challenges such as housing and financial stability, which can often be the difference between staying in work or falling out of it.
What makes these charities particularly powerful is how well their work complements each other. One offers immediate support in moments of crisis, while the other provides a pathway back into employment and longer-term independence. Between them, they cover two critical stages in someone’s journey in the hospitality industry.
This year’s ride raised more than £120,000, split equally between the two charities. All event costs were covered by corporate sponsors, meaning every pound raised goes directly to supporting their work. We would like to thank everyone who kindly gave a donation. It is a collective effort the industry should be proud of.
When the weather lifted, the landscape provided some genuinely beautiful stretches through Norfolk countryside. It also highlighted the mix of experience within the group. Some riders were seasoned cyclists, while others were very much stepping outside their comfort zone. But regardless of ability, everyone shared the same goal and supported one another throughout.
This was the fourth year that we have taken part, having been involved since the beginning. Each year brings something slightly different, but the overall takeaway remains the same. The fundraising is important, but so too is the chance to spend time with people who genuinely care about the future of hospitality.
We are not going to pretend that we are feeling anything other than slightly broken, particularly Jonathan after covering 444.6 miles over four days, including his questionable decision to cycle from Sheffield to the start.
So, what can you learn from spending three days on the road with people from across hospitality? Quite a lot, as it turns out.
While the event is centred on fundraising, it also offers something less tangible but arguably just as valuable. It creates space away from day-to-day pressures, where conversations happen more openly and honestly than in meetings or over email. Over repair stops, lunch breaks and long stretches of open road, operators, suppliers and advisers shared experiences, challenges and ideas. From our perspective, we spend much of our working lives focused on licensing and regulation. It is an important part of the industry, but only one piece of a much larger picture. Events like this provide a reminder of that wider context, offering a clearer sense of what is happening on the ground beyond the issues we typically see day-to-day.
Unsurprisingly, many conversations centred on the pressures currently facing hospitality. Rising costs, increases in national insurance contributions, higher wage bills, business rates and ongoing supply chain challenges were recurring themes. There is no escaping the fact that trading conditions remain difficult, and for many they feel among the toughest in recent memory.
However, what stood out just as much was the tone of those conversations. Despite the challenges, there remains a strong sense of resilience across the sector. Many participants have spent decades in hospitality and, while there is realism about the pressures ahead, there is also clear determination to adapt, innovate and keep moving forward. That balance of honesty and optimism is something the industry has always been known for, and it was evident throughout the ride.
One topic that came up repeatedly was the ongoing debate around VAT in hospitality. It clearly remains a key issue for operators and continues to generate discussion across the sector. Hearing it surface so consistently in informal conversations gave a clear sense of how central it is, even where views on solutions differ.
Of course, not everything was about policy and pressure.
The ride itself brought its own challenges. While Norfolk is famously flat, the weather ensured it was anything but straightforward. Day three in particular proved punishing, with punctures becoming a recurring feature as riders picked their way through difficult stretches of wet road. Yet those moments also captured something important about the event. Whenever someone stopped with a mechanical issue, others immediately pulled over to help. Tools were shared, wheels fixed and encouragement offered without hesitation. It did not matter whether people had known each other for years or met only hours earlier – everyone simply helped get each other back on the road.
In many ways, it felt like a reflection of hospitality itself: a sector built on collaboration, problem-solving and mutual support when things go wrong. That moment, more than any other, summed up the entire event. It reflected not only the ride itself, but also the charities it supports – people facing circumstances often outside their control, and others stepping in with support, guidance and a willingness to share knowledge and experience to help them move forward.
We can honestly say it is one of the most rewarding events in the hospitality calendar. If you are thinking about taking part next year, we would absolutely encourage you to give it a go. If you would simply like to support the cause, there is still time to donate and help two charities making a real difference across our industry. See you in the saddle!!
Tim Shield is a partner at John Gaunt & Partners and Jonathan Pupius is practice manager
