Children will be able to travel without a fare at the Arriva, Stagecoach and Go North East bus facilities during the summer holidays.
Another 25 people sentenced to prison for crimes in and around Sunderland in June
The 39-year-old gang drove the 280-mile mountainous highway for 4 days in sweltering heat for the Foundation of Light Cycle Challenge, followed by a team of nine.
The challenge is an annual event, although it was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid and you could only imagine a local day trip last year.
The Pisa challenge in Rome 2022, the foundation’s tenth race. Over the past decade, runners have collected thousands of books for the charity, which works with other young people and their families in the Northeast.
Previous trips were from Dublin to Sunderland; Pisa to Venice; Brussels to Paris, the French Atlantic coast to the Mediterranean; From Poland to Prague, from Dubrovnik to Split in Croatia and from Geneva to eastern France.
The trip was sponsored through Builders’ Dealers Grafton’s, whose chief executive, Gavin Slark, is from Sunderland and a long-time supporter of the charity.
One of the cyclists was former Echo editor Rob Lawson, who said: “It’s been a tough challenge this year, with a mix of heat, mileage and climbing wreaking havoc. I have done 8 of the Foundation’s motorcycle rides and this was indeed the most difficult.
“However, the surely beautiful Tuscan landscape, the very friendly Italians and the camaraderie among the riders allowed us to continue.
“The trips are incredibly well organized, with normal stops and daily briefings on what to expect the next day.
“It has become a vital occasion on the calendars of many cyclists and many ‘regulars’ have known each other well over the years, although it is great to welcome new faces, which we have done this year. “
Jemma Dowson, The Foundation’s Director of Events, said: “I would like to thank all of this year’s riders and their generous sponsors for bringing so much together.
“The Cycle Challenge has become one of our top fundraisers and we are very grateful to everyone involved, especially Grafton and our Foundation team.
“They work very hard behind the scenes to make the challenge as stylish as possible for cyclists. “